Garnett powers Celtics to 94-82 win over Jazz

[March 29, 2012]  BOSTON (AP) -- Kevin Garnett scored 23 points and added 10 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo had 14 assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 94-82 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

The win was Boston's fifth in six tries. The Celtics moved into a tie with the Philadelphia 76ers atop the Atlantic Division.

Former Celtic Al Jefferson had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz, scoring 10 in a 17-3 third-quarter run that turned an 18-point deficit into a two-possession game. The Jazz tied it early in the fourth before Boston scored the next seven points -- with Garnett contributing on all of them -- to pull away.

Utah had won seven of its previous eight games.

Gordon Hayward scored 19 points, and Paul Millsap had 16 for the Jazz, who fell into a three-way tie with Denver and Houston in a race for the last two playoff spots in the Western Conference.

The Celtics took a 44-29 lead with 2:22 left in the half on consecutive alley-oops from Rondo to Ryan Hollins. Boston opened an 18-point lead, 61-43, with 7:40 to play in the third quarter.

But the Jazz scored 17 of the next 20 points -- 10 of them from Jefferson -- to make it a four-point game. They then ran off six in a row to tie it 66-all, scoring the first five of the fourth quarter on Enes Kanter's jumper and a three-point play by Alec Burks.

That's when the Celtics snapped out of their slump.

Garnett fed Keyon Dooling for a 3-pointer, then the Celtics' big man made a fallaway jumper. After a Jazz miss, Garnett grabbed the rebound and made an outlet pass for a fast break that ended with Bradley at the free throw line, sinking a pair of foul shots that made it 73-66.

The Jazz never got closer than three points after that.

NOTES: Ray Allen missed his fourth consecutive game with a sore right ankle ... Celtics F Chris Wilcox is scheduled to have surgery for an enlarged aorta on Thursday. ... Pierce made seven free throws to give him 6,041 in his career and pass David Robinson for 15th place on the NBA's career list for free throws made. Next up: Wilt Chamberlain at 6,057. ... Jefferson and Garnett drew matching technical fouls with 6 minutes left. ... Jefferson, who was traded to Minnesota in the 2007 deal that brought Garnett to Boston, was 1 for 8 from the floor in the first half.

[Associated Press; By JIMMY GOLEN]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.