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PHILADELPHIA -- Rajon Rondo is starting to feel like his old self -- and the Boston Celtics are starting to win again. Tim Jamison Jersey . Rondo had eight points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in his eighth game back from a serious knee injury, and Jeff Green scored 17 of his 36 points in the third quarter in the Celtics 114-108 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. "Its only a matter of time before we got on the same page," Green said about Rondo. "He puts me in my spots, gets it to me in the open floor. He sees the floor very well. Hes helping me get into a good rhythm. I have to continue to make sure I get open for him." Jared Sullinger had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Boston. The Celtics improved to 17-33, winning their second straight game after losing 19 of 22. Rondo had 19 points and 10 assists in Bostons win over Orlando on Sunday. "Im getting back to my old self," Rondo said. "Im not there yet but Ill take the progress." Brandon Bass had 18 points for the Celtics, 2-6 since Rondos return. Thaddeus Young had 20 points, and Tony Wroten added 18 for Philadelphia. The 76ers (15-35) have lost four straight and 14 of their last 17 games. They also have lost six in a row at home for the first time since the 1996-97 season. Spencer Hawes added 13 points and 13 rebounds for Philadelphia and Lavoy Allen had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sixers coach Brett Brown noticed the difference in the Celtics with an effective Rondo. "Hes their compass," Brown said. "Hes a great point guard and a leader." Green scored 13 straight points during a 2-minute stretch in the third quarter, capped by a 3-pointer that gave the Celtics their biggest lead to that point, 83-71 with 3:44 left. Boston coach Brad Stevens credited Rondo for helping Green succeed. "He made a lot of shots and Rondo found him a couple of times early," Stevens said. "His job is simplified with Rajon out there. He pushed the tempo better than Ive seen him in the first eight games. He got us a lot of good looks. His greatest strength is he makes everyone else better and thats really shown true the last two games." Said Rondo: "Everybody needs easy buckets, especially a guy (Green) whos that talented and athletic. All he needs to do is see it go through a couple of times, get to the free-throw line. He gets hot quick." Wroten made a 58-footer at the buzzer to cut it to 88-82 entering the fourth. Philadelphia got as close as three points in the final quarter on Wrotens two free throws with 8:35 left but never got closer. The Sixers had a chance to get it to two points, but Evan Turner missed a baseline jumper with 1:13 left, and Sullinger converted a three-point play on the ensuing possession off an assist from Rondo with 59.4 seconds left to give Boston a 112-105 advantage. "He made a ton of good decisions and some huge plays late," Stevens said about Rondo. The Boston point guard, who is still getting into game shape, also got some help from his teammates. After going down at one point, Bass resuscitated a winded Rondo. "Nothing was wrong," Rondo said. "I was winded. He brought me back to life a little bit. Those guys pick me up. Whoever hits the floor helps each other up. Were a team and thats what they did on that particular play." The Sixers havent won since last Wednesdays buzzer-beating 95-94 win at Boston. Notes: Philadelphia guard Michael Carter-Williams was selected the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for January. It was the second honour for Carter-Williams, who also was recognized in November to join Allen Iverson as the only Sixers to earn the award multiple times. Carter-Williams averaged 16.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists last month. ... Sixers guard James Anderson (back contusion) left in the first half but returned after halftime. Louis Nix Jersey . -- Michael Phelps has competed in the second event of his comeback and failed to advance to the 50-meter freestyle final. Dennis Johnson Texans Jersey . LOUIS -- Walking Billy Hamilton to start the ninth inning was a bad sign for Trevor Rosenthal.On Tuesday, the Ottawa Redblacks introduced Henry Burris as their newest quarterback, joining Thomas DeMarco and Kevin Glenn, who were picked up in the expansion draft. Last week, the Blue Bombers made a substantial multi-year offer to Burris to take over the starters role. In a telling move, the veteran pivot turned down the offer, choosing instead to join the expansion Redblacks, assuming he thinks they offer a better chance at immediate success. Do you agree? Are the Redblacks a better option than the Blue Bombers right now? Last season, the Blue Bombers struggled to a 3-15 season and replaced head coach Tim Burke with Mike OShea, the likeable special teams coordinator from the Toronto Argonauts. Marcel Bellefeuille is back as the offensive coordinator, a position he took over last August. Changes are happening in the Manitoba capital in hopes of turning things around in short order. And in a league the size of the CFL, teams have gone from worst to competitive on many occasions so the Blue Bombers could very well make the playoffs as early as next season. Expansion teams rarely compete for a playoff spot In Ottawa, winning is not expected to come quickly. With a roster made up of players who were left exposed by existing teams in the expansion draft, itt will take some time to build a successful organization. DeAndre Hopkins Texans Jersey. Thats what makes this move surprising. At 38 years of age, Burris window to win is small and yet, he decided the Redblacks offered a better opportunity than the Blue Bombers. Secondly, by making the offer to Burris after his release from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Blue Bombers made it clear who their starting quarterback would be in Week 1. There would be competition in training camp but the job would be his to lose. The situation is not so clear cut in the nations capital. Burris will have fellow veteran Glenn, who likely thought he had the inside track on the starters role before Tuesdays move, and De Marco, likely the quarterback of the future, to contend with. While the early nod may go to Burris, the other two candidates bring their own talents to the table and will be gunning for that top job. Many factors go into making the kind of decision Burris made on Tuesday and winning is usually at or near the top of the list for professional athletes. Taking everything into consideration, Burris decided Ottawa was a better fit than Winnipeg. Do you agree? Which team do you think offers the best opportunity to win now: Redblacks or Blue Bombers? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' ' |
