Rondo carries Celtics to 110-106 win over Knicks

BOSTON (FOX25, myfoxboston) - Rajon Rondo scored 15 points and had 16 assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 110-106 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in a matchup of teams that traded with each other last week.

Ray Allen added 24 points, Kevin Garnett 16, Marquis Daniels 14 and Kendrick Perkins 12 as Boston sent New York to its eighth straight loss. The Celtics were without forward Paul Pierce, who was home with the flu. Boston coach Doc Rivers said Pierce wouldn't have played anyway due to a sore right thumb injured last Thursday in a win over the Lakers.

David Lee had 28 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks, while Wilson Chandler scored 19 points and Sergio Rodriguez 18.

Celtics guard Nate Robinson -- acquired last Thursday from New York along with forward Marcus Landry for Eddie House, J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker and a future conditional second-round pick -- scored four points on 2 for 7 shooting in his first game with his new team.

Robinson missed the last three games of Boston's four-game road trip with food poisoning.

House had four points off the bench for the Knicks. Walker added seven, while Giddens and Landry didn't play.

Tracy McGrady did play after saying following Monday's loss that he wasn't sure he would because he banged knees a couple of times during that game. He scored just six points on 3 of 8 shooting after going 0 for 2 from the floor in 6 1/2 minutes in the opening quarter. It was only his ninth game this season after returning from knee surgery.

Boston led 94-91 entering the final quarter and the Knicks closed it to 107-106 on McGrady's drive with 2:43 to play.

Daniels scored on a drive with 1:56 to go, making it 109-106 and Allen blocked Chandler's drive as the shot clock expired with 48.9 seconds left. Garnett sealed it with a free throw in the closing seconds.

New York was coming off an embarrassing 83-67 loss at home Monday against Milwaukee, its lowest point total since a 104-59 loss in Boston on Nov. 29, 2007.

NOTES: House was given about a 90-second standing ovation while a video tribute of his days with the Celtics was shown on the Jumbotron to the music of Creed's "Higher" during a timeout with 5:33 left in the first quarter. ... Robinson was given a warm greeting that lasted about a half minute when he came in late in the first quarter. ... The Knicks scored 60 points in the first half. ... Two referees worked the final 3 1/2 quarters after Courtney Kirkland left the game. A Celtics spokesman said Kirkland was feeling ill.