ESPN

BOSTON -- A look at ESPN Boston headlines after the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Boston Celtics Wednesday night at TD Garden, including a look at Boston failing to steal a win with a tough two-game road trip looming beginning Thursday in Chicago.

BOSTON -- Even before Ray Allen made his return to the starting lineup Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, Celtics coach Doc Rivers rolled his eyes at all the hype surrounding whether Allen or Avery Bradley deserved to be with the first unit.

"It’s not a big deal, guys,” Rivers chastised. “I know [media members] want to make it one, but it really isn’t. I don’t think guys care one way or the other."

If it mattered to Bradley, he has a heck of a way of showing it. Shuffling back to a reserve role for the first time in five games -- all wins for Boston -- Bradley overcame some initial hesitation to score a team-high 19 points on 9 of 16 shooting. He erupted for 13 second-quarter points, scoring nine in a row at one point to help Boston rally back from an early deficit, then added a couple fourth-quarter buckets as the Celtics temporarily jumped ahead before the Spurs escaped with an 87-86 triumph at TD Garden.

"It’s what I tried to tell you guys before: Starter or not, [Bradley is] going to play the same," Rivers said. "And he was terrific."

Said Bradley of his reserve role: “It doesn’t matter where I come in, whether I start or come off the bench -- or if I don’t play. However I can help my team, just coming in and bringing that energy, that’s what I’m going to do.”

So after all that hype about whether the Celtics could benefit more from having Allen providing instant offense off the bench, the team instead found its sixth man spark plug in Bradley, who seamlessly returned to a reserve role and made his presence felt at both ends of the court.

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BOSTON -- The San Antonio Spurs and coach Gregg Popovich are notorious for getting veteran players rest, even at the expense of potential wins. Heck, this is the same team that gave Tim Duncan a "DNP -- Old" last week, though it hardly detoured them as part of what's now a nine-game winning streak after topping Boston 87-86 Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers wasn't so sure his team could afford his players the same opportunity for R&R -- or if they'd take it if he could.

"When you have that record, you can probably do that," Rivers said of the 38-14 Spurs, who emerged from Wednesday's win with a five-game cushion over the Lakers for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference (and were just a game back of Oklahoma City for the top seed). The Celtics own a 1½-game lead over slumping Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division, but remain 2½ games back of Indiana for the No. 3 seed.

"I think health [is most important]; Rest is a little overrated to me," added Rivers. "I think if I sat out Kevin [Garnett] tonight, he would run 5 miles on the treadmill, lift [weights], and then go shoot. But I think health is key, that’s the one for me. If I thought we were playing a guy that was banged up and it could make the injury linger for the playoffs, that’s a 'sit' guy, 100 percent. But the rest thing is visually. You’ll see it, you’ll know it, hopefully. When a guy needs it, hopefully we’ll give it to him."

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BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Boston Celtics 87-86 Wednesday night at TD Garden:

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
Daniel Green paced five Spurs in double figures with 14 points, but it might have been the bench efforts of Gary Neal (13 points) and Matt Bonner (10 points), who each hit key late-game buckets, that helped San Antonio escape with the win despite mustering just 28 second-half points. Avery Bradley scored a team-high 19 points off the bench for Boston, while Paul Pierce -- fresh off his Player of the Month award -- added 15 points and 10 rebounds, but missed a chance to win it at the buzzer. Rajon Rondo added 17 points and pushed his double-digit assist streak to 14 games with 11 assists over 44 minutes.

TURNING POINT
Brandon Bass' tip in with three minutes to play had Boston out front 83-81. Ironically, second-chance points would kill the Celtics on this night (San Antonio finished with a 18-4 advantage overall). Tim Duncan kept a play alive with an offensive rebound before feeding Neal for a 3-pointer that put the Spurs back out front. Manu Ginobili scrambled for another offensive board a short time later and Bonner hit a back-breaking, shot-clock-beating jumper with 46.5 seconds to go for an 87-83 cushion. The Celtics got a triple from Ray Allen with 39.8 seconds to play and had a chance to win it on the final possession, but Pierce couldn't connect on a step-back at the free throw line over Duncan.

IT WASN'T PRETTY, BUT IT GAVE THEM A CHANCE
After giving up 59 first-half points, including 32 in the second frame, the Celtics' defense showed up for the third quarter, limiting the Spurs to a mere 9 points on 4-of-20 shooting (20 percent). The Spurs misfired on all eight 3-pointers they attempted and generated only two buckets over the final 9:47 of the third quarter. That helped Boston trim a 13-point deficit to 4, but the Celtics couldn't capitalize more while shooting a mere 35.3 percent (6-of-17) and turning the ball over seven times.

BOLD PLAY OF THE GAME
Gotta give Sasha Pavlovic the nod here. Not only did he chip in some key minutes with Pierce in foul trouble, but he provided a rare burst of offense to start the second quarter. First Pavlovic drilled a 3-pointer off a Kevin Garnett feed, then he picked the pocket of a napping Stephen Jackson near half-court before going in for an uncontested reverse jam. Bradley deserves an honorable mention for his efforts a short time after as he scored nine consecutive points -- off four layups and a free throw -- to help Boston tie the game before the team's offense went cold the rest of the first half.

ALLEN & BRADLEY WATCH
Ray Allen returned after a six-game absence due to a sore right ankle, shuffling Bradley back to a bench role, but it hardly hindered the second-year guard. The Celtics went small for much of the night, often operating with a three-guard lineup that kept both players on the floor. Bradley responded with the team-high 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting over 34 minutes. Allen finished with 5 points on 2-of-6 shooting over 35 minutes.

SCOREBOARD WATCHING
The Philadelphia 76ers continue to struggle, getting throttled at home by 21 points against the hapless Toronto Raptors. That means that, even with the loss, the Celtics hold on to a 1½-game cushion atop the Atlantic Division with Thursday's visit to Chicago looming.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics watch a five-game winning streak get snapped (now 15-6 since the All-Star break), while the Spurs push their win streak to nine games (14-4 in the second half). Boston could have done itself a favor with more inspired defensive play in the second half, but showed up late and didn't capitalize on its own offensive opportunities with a chance to pull ahead or stretch its fleeting lead at times in the fourth quarter. The Celtics can find positives in this win, but a tough back-to-back looms with the Bulls and this would have been a nice one to steal for Boston.

BOSTON -- Celtics guard Ray Allen said he expects no limitation as he returns to the starting lineup Wednesday night after a six-game absence due to right ankle soreness.

Afte receiving a cortisone shot, Allen said he's felt noticeably better the last two days and his mobility has returned allowing him to get back on the court for Wednesday's visit from the San Antonio Spurs.

Is he 100 percent?

"I don’t know what 100 percent feels like," he quipped. "During the season it’s really hard to say, that number is mythical. I don’t know anybody that’s felt that [during the season]. You just kind of manage how you can, and if you get out there and you can do the job, that’s what we strive for."

Allen said he'll have to see how the ankle responds to game conditions, but expected no limitations after going through a full practice session Tuesday and experiencing no flare-ups.

"It’s interesting, I just know my body so well, the difference, coming in today, and even practicing yesterday -- it's night and day difference, to be able to push and get lift," said Allen. "Again, tonight, we’ll see."

The Celtics were 5-1 without Allen as he dealt with the ankle (and 10-1 without Allen overall this season). Avery Bradley made a strong case to stick with the starting lineup while filling in, but coach Doc Rivers downplayed the whole issue of putting Allen back with the first unit.

"I thought about it," admitted Rivers. "It’s not a big deal, guys. I know [media members] want to make it one, but it really isn’t. I don’t think guys care one way or the other."

The only team playing better than the Boston Celtics (30-22, 19-8 home) right now is the San Antonio Spurs (37-14, 16-10 road), who carry an eight-game winning streak into Wednesday night's clash at TD Garden (7:30 p.m., CSN). The Spurs have won 11 of their last 12 and are the only team in the league with a better record since the All-Star break than Boston. To preview the matchup, we play a game of 2-on-2 with colleague Greg Payne.

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1. What will you be focused on when the Spurs and Celtics meet?

Payne: It depends on who Spurs coach Gregg Popovich holds out in this one. The Spurs dismantled the Cavaliers last night, but Popovich has stated publicly that he won't be shy about holding out guys like Manu Ginobili on the second night of back-to-backs, as well as other players, in an effort to keep guys healthy and energized for the postseason. Ideally, we'd be seeing another great test for the surging Celtics tonight, similar to Sunday's bout with the Heat, but San Antonio might not be throwing out all of its big guns. Normally I'd mention the Rajon Rondo-Tony Parker matchup, but, again, similar to Sunday, I'm more interested in seeing Avery Bradley match up with Parker. I think Bradley can come in and really disrupt the flow of guys like Parker, and other players that opponents really rely upon. Similar to how he smothered Dwyane Wade at times on Sunday, I want to see if Bradley can lock down Parker tonight.

Forsberg: No doubt the Celtics were hoping to see a "DNP -- Old" or two under the Spurs' box score Wednesday night with San Antonio playing the second night of a back-to-back. Instead, the only reason the Spurs would be tired is from beating the Cavaliers mercilessly (winning by 35 points on the road on Tuesday). No San Antonio starter played more than 26 minutes, including Tim Duncan (23) and Parker (23). That likely means no letup from a Spurs' magnificently efficient offense that thrives in transition (the Spurs rank No. 1 in the league averaging 1.228 points per transition play, according to Synergy Sports data, and second overall in points per play). The Spurs don't force a lot of turnovers, but they don't give the ball up a whole lot either, so Boston has to continue to value the ball and maximize their own offensive possessions.

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In Sunday's 85-82 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Celtics leaned on Paul Pierce to close out the game in the fourth quarter. Against the Spurs on Thursday, it was the first 12 minutes that were most in need of Pierce's expertise, as the Celtics attempted to absorb San Antonio's opening haymaker and remain on their feet with Kevin Garnett once again buried on the bench in foul trouble.

Pierce proved equal to the task, as he scored 11 of his 21 points in the opening frame on 4-of-5 shooting, to go along with six rebounds and three assists, as the Celtics countered a 33-point opening frame from the Spurs by dropping 31 points of their own. Defensive purists won't appreciate the results of the quarter, but with Garnett forced to exit the game not even three minutes in, it was more important for the Celtics to simply hang in there, absorb some punches, and regroup once Garnett was able to get back in the fray.

"I thought the biggest point of the game was the beginning of the game when Kevin gets the two fouls," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers after his club's 107-97 victory in San Antonio. "We held our ground, and that was terrific."

Realizing his team needed a catalyst, Pierce stepped up and scored nine of his 11 points after Garnett exited the game with his second foul.

"I thought Paul clearly carried us in the early going," said Rivers. "When Kevin went out, we needed scoring. It was Paul. Paul, early in the game, he took it over for us, and that's what he can do. So that was wonderful."

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Doc Rivers called it "coach's porn," but whatever you call it, superior ball movement, sparked by Rajon Rondo, gave the Celtics an inspiring win over the Spurs:

--RONDO GETS THE CELTICS MOVING VS. SPURS--

If Boston's offense was in a funk, it broke out in a big way Thursday night in San Antonio. The Celtics shot a blistering 61.9 percent in the second half, connecting on 26 of 42 shots while racing away for a 107-97 triumph over the Spurs. "Hell, I'm going to say it, and I probably shouldn't, but [the players know], I call it coach's porn," joked Rivers, the insinuation that nothing gets a hoops coach more excited than seeing fundamental ball movement leading to open looks.

SAN ANTONIO -- When the Celtics and Jermaine O'Neal sat down to map out a plan of attack for his return to game action, they could have easily given him a couple of extra days of practice time and brought him back on Sunday at the TD Garden against the 26-win Detroit Pistons.

But what's the fun in that? O'Neal figured if he was going to jump back in the fire, why not pick the spiciest game on the schedule?

So there was O'Neal, back on the floor at the AT&T Center on Thursday night for the first time since Jan. 12, giving a quick tap to San Antonio Spurs big man Tim Duncan, then immediately leaning on the future Hall of Famer to prevent him from establishing post position.

"You don't want to try to find a lesser talent," O'Neal said. "You want to put yourself to the test. We looked at the calendar and this is when we picked to come back. I've always, throughout my career, I've tried to contribute at a high level, so I couldn't have picked a better place to come and challenge what I've been through for the last three months [than] against a good team like San Antonio."

O'Neal's stat line was modest: 2-for-2 shooting with five points, a rebound and an assist over 11:12. He played in two short bursts midway through the first and third quarters, but earned big praise from Celtics coach Doc Rivers each time he came back to the bench.

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SAN ANTONIO -- Rapid reaction after the Boston Celtics defeated the San Antonio Spurs 107-97 Thursday night at the AT&T Center:

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo put together a brilliant all-around effort, scoring a team-high 22 points on 11-of-20 shooting (matching his regular-season career high for attempts), while adding 14 assists and not committing a single turnover in 41 minutes. Paul Pierce flirted with a triple-double (21 points, 11 rebounds, 7 rebounds), while Kevin Garnett added 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds. Tony Parker scored a team-high 23 points for the Spurs.

TURNING POINT
Down four with little more than five minutes to play in the third quarter, the Celtics embarked on a 14-0 run highlighted by Jeff Green and Rondo. Green scored off a Rondo feed before Boston's All-Star point guard chipped in the next three buckets. Green hit a pair of jumpers to cap the spurt (both on Delonte West feeds) and Boston led, 77-67, with 1:15 to go in the frame. All this while often running with a second-unit lineup featuring the likes of Sasha Pavlovic and Von Wafer on the floor.

STAT OF THE GAME
The Celtics blistered the floor shooting 26-of-42 (62 percent) after halftime and motored away from the Spurs over the final 18 minutes.

UNSUNG HERO
Glen Davis chipped in 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting over 33 minutes and provided much-needed size after Nenad Krstic departed with a knee injury late in the first half.

WHAT IT MEANS
If not for Krstic's second-quarter knee injury, all would be well in Celtics Nation with one dominating second-half performance against the team with the best record in the NBA. Jermaine O'Neal provided 11 solid minutes in his first game back since Jan. 12, making both shots he took while chipping in five points and a rebound. Boston will hope it can bottle some of this late-game intensity and carry it over to Atlanta on the second night of a back-to-back Friday.

SAN ANTONIO -- Celtics center Nenad Krstic suffered a right knee injury after it bent awkwardly as Krstic drove toward the basket late in the first half Thursday night against the Spurs.

According to the Celtics, Krstic will not return.

Krstic grimaced before collapsing beneath the basket and clutching the knee in pain. He eventually got to his feet and hobbled to the locker room with the aid of team trainer Ed Lacerte.

The Celtics got one center back on Thursday in Jermaine O'Neal, who had been sidelined since Jan. 12 following left knee surgery, and are hoping to get another, Shaquille O'Neal, who has been sidelined since Feb. 1, back as early as next week.

Krstic has been the team's starting center since being acquired in the deal that sent Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City at the trade deadline in late February.

UPDATE: Krstic will undergo an MRI in Boston on Saturday and Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he will not play Friday against the Hawks or Sunday versus the Pistons. Click HERE for more on the injury.

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SAN ANTONIO -- Just in case you were worried about some freak afternoon setback, Jermaine O'Neal is still scheduled to make his return to game action Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs. So, Celtics coach Doc Rivers, what can we expect from a player that's been sidelined since Jan. 12?

"I have no idea," said Rivers. "I'm going to throw him out there and he may look like he can play one minute, or 10 minutes, I’m just going to let him tell us with the way he’s moving around and playing. He’s going to be fighting a number of things: No. 1, he hasn’t played in three months or whatever; No. 2, remembering anything we do when you’re going full speed; The third one, and most [importantly], just conditioning. That's a lot to fight. And then the fourth thing: Playing against the Spurs. All those are pretty tough ones.

"But we need him back and we need the minutes. We have to use his games for him, and when [Shaquille O'Neal] comes back, we have to use both of them, use [the remaining games as] practices for them. The other four guys will be playing in the game, but [the O'Neals] just have to play."

Speaking of Shaq, Rivers confirmed the potential for the 39-year-old center to return to the court as early as Sunday (but more likely Tuesday if the team elects to squeeze Shaq into a practice Monday). Asked if he worried about setting another time line, given all the ones that have passed already, Rivers kept it light.

"The other way hasn't worked, so yeah, he's playing Tuesday," joked Rivers. "I mean, what the hell? I tried the other way and that doesn't work. So let's jinx him. Hell, we need him back."

Shaq has been sidelined since Feb. 1 with right foot injuries.

In other injury news, Von Wafer (right calf sprain) is back in the active lineup this evening. Rivers said he'd dress, but wasn't sure he'd play him, suggesting he'll lean on Sasha Pavlovic as the third wing behind Paul Pierce and Jeff Green.

With Wafer, the Celtics enjoyed the rare luxury of not only dressing 12 healthy bodies, but actually having to scratch one (rookie Avery Bradley). Rivers isn't a fan of the NBA's inactive policy, but admitted it's nice to be able to have 13 healthy bodies to lean on.

As for the Spurs, as coach Doc Rivers keenly predicted this morning, all of their key players are available, including stars Tim Duncan (sprained left ankle), Manu Ginobili (left quadriceps contusion), Tony Parker (left patella contusion), and Antonio McDyess (lower back contusion), who all sat out Monday's loss to Portland.

(51-22, 22-14 away)

-- vs. --

(57-17, 33-4 home)

at AT&T Center, 8 p.m. | TNT, WEEI (850 AM)
PAYNE'S THREE THINGS TO WATCH

• Ray Allen's Shots: Ray Allen's averaged just nine field goal attempts per game over his last three games, including a mere eight in the Celtics' 107-100 loss to the Pacers on Monday. Allen's averaging 12.5 field goal attempts per game this season, and has said in recent weeks that getting a consistent string of shots throughout the game is key to garnering a rhythm, which becomes vital when he becomes relied upon to make shots down the stretch in games. Allen took four shots in the fourth quarter of Monday's loss, but made only one of them -- perhaps affected by having taken only four shots over the course of the first three frames.
• Jermaine O'Neal's Return: O'Neal has been out of action since Jan. 12 following left knee surgery, but his return comes at a key point in time as the Celtics are lacking other big men in Troy Murphy and Shaquille O'Neal due to injuries. Celtics coach Doc Rivers should have O'Neal on some type of minute restriction, but O'Neal looks to be in phenomenal shape and could have an immediate impact.
• Who's on the Other Side?: It's still unclear as to which Spurs will trot out onto the court tonight (though Rivers is expecting the full squad). Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, and Antonio McDyess have all been battling various ailments lately. Duncan has missed the Spurs' last four games (all losses) following a left ankle sprain suffered on March 21 against the Golden State Warriors. If all of San Antonio's stars play, strap in for a slew of exciting matchups, including Rajon Rondo vs. Parker, Paul Pierce and/or Ray Allen vs. Ginobili, Kevin Garnett vs. Duncan, and even Glen Davis vs. DeJuan Blair. If the Spurs' stars remain benched, the Celtics' road to victory might be a bit easier tonight, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, seeing as every game counts right now for Boston in terms of playoff seeding, and tonight also marks the first game of another back-to-back on the road (the Celtics play the Hawks in Atlanta tomorrow).

GAME PREVIEW (via Stats Inc.)

A once comfortable lead atop the Western Conference has shrunk dramatically in the past 10 days for the injury-riddled San Antonio Spurs. The Boston Celtics' lead in the East is long gone and they're not playing as if they can get it back. One of these stumbling title contenders will get a much-needed boost Thursday night, when the Spurs looks to avoid their worst losing streak in nearly 14 years and a fifth straight home loss to the Celtics.

San Antonio (57-17) still leads the West but is struggling to hold off the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas. The Spurs had a seven-game lead over Los Angeles on March 21, but that margin has been cut in half because they've lost a season-high four in a row.

Tim Duncan has missed all four of the losses with a sprained ankle and the Spurs' injury woes worsened earlier this week. They were without Tony Parker (left knee contusion), Manu Ginobili (bruised thigh) and Antonio McDyess (back) in a 100-92 loss to Portland on Monday.

"It's life. You have to deal with it and figure out how to get better," said George Hill, who had a team-high 27 points. "No one's hanging their head or thinking we're not as good as we've been all year."

The Spurs are at risk of losing five consecutive games for the first time since dropping their final six of the 1996-97 season.

Read the full preview HERE.

SAN ANTONIO -- While San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich won't tip his hand about who his team will have available for Thursday night's battle with the Celtics, Boston coach Doc Rivers told his players to prepare for everyone.

Spurs stars Tim Duncan (sprained left ankle), Manu Ginobili (left quadriceps contusion), Tony Parker (left patella contusion), and Antonio McDyess (lower back contusion) all sat out Monday's loss to Portland, but Rivers has a feeling they'll all be back on the floor Thursday night at the AT&T Center.

"I think they all will play," said Rivers. "I told our guys that a week ago. They've done this twice. Last year they rested their guys up to play against us and [this year the Spurs] did it again. Duncan was an injury, but now he's healthy. I have no doubts they're all playing. It's one of the games they get up for when they play us, and I hope we do, too."

Given that his own troops typically play up to the level of their competition -- part of the reason the Celtics have dropped seven of their last 12, mostly to inferior teams -- Rivers thinks Thursday's matchup could bring out the best of his team, but cautioned against putting too much stock in any regular-season game.

As his team prepares to joust with a top Western Conference foe, Rivers said he's not overly concerned how Boston's Eastern Conference rivals are faring.

"I can't worry about them," Rivers said of the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. "I don't even worry about them, I worry about us. We have to take care of ourselves... More importantly [than Boston's overall record], we have to take care of getting ready for the playoffs. At the end of the day, that's all I'm concerned with. I'm not concerned by [the East rivals]."

SAN ANTONIO -- Celtics reserve center Jermaine O'Neal experienced no unusual overnight swelling in his surgically repaired left knee and is ready to return to game action Thursday night against the Spurs.

O'Neal, sidelined since Jan. 12 and limited to 17 games so far this season due to left knee ailments, admitted he had normal soreness after going through a lengthy offday practice session in San Antonio on Wednesday -- his first since rejoining the team on Monday in Indiana -- and he's excited to get back on the floor with his teammates.

"You're in there banging, the body is going to be a little sore," O'Neal said of his first practice. "But I feel pretty good... I'm just happy to be back. We'll take it day to day, do the maintenance... and keep [the knee] strong."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who initially expressed skepticism on whether O'Neal could get back on the court Thursday, reversed his course after Wednesday's session.

"He looked good and he feels better," said Rivers. "He had a good day yesterday."

O'Neal said he hadn't discussed a game plan with Rivers as far as minutes, but expects them to be low on his first game back, especially on the first night of a back-to-back (Boston travels to Atlanta Friday). O'Neal did say that, if the knee feels good, he's not against playing extended minutes, but will let the body (and coaching staff) dictate that.

Rivers thinks just having O'Neal back in uniform will give his team a spark.

"I think getting any guy back helps," said Rivers. "Especially a guy with size, that always helps. And I think it helps guys mentally."

In other injury news, Von Wafer, sidelined since March 4 with a sprained right calf, went through a full practice session Wednesday and could also be back on the floor as early as Thursday's game.

"He's close," said Rivers. "He may even dress tonight."

If that's the case, the Celtics would have a very rare situation where they would need to scratch a healthy body (likely rookie Avery Bradley) in order to add O'Neal and Wafer to the 12-man active lineup. For Rivers, that's a fine problem to have this time of year.