Rajon Rondo has clearly overcome a recent injury. The All-Star point guard is also helping the Boston Celtics withstand Kevin Garnett's continued absence.
Coming off a triple-double, Rondo will try to assist the Celtics in continuing their dominance of the Toronto Raptors as the Atlantic Division rivals conclude their season series Friday night.
The Raptors are trying to win consecutive games for the first time since the start of last month. They won for just the fourth time in 16 games after beating Cleveland 120-105 on Wednesday to snap a three-game skid.
Andrea Bargnani has been productive since missing four games with a strained left calf. The center had 25 points and eight rebounds against the Cavaliers, a night after returning from his injury to score 23 and pull down six boards in a 111-91 loss at Chicago in the opener of a three-game road trip.
DeMar DeRozan scored 27 against Boston earlier this week, but has totaled 31 in two games since. The swingman has accumulated 20 points in three visits to TD Garden - all losses.
It took three games, but Rondo appears to have shaken off any effects of a sprained left ankle that sidelined him for seven contests last month. He turned in one of his most impressive performances of the season Wednesday, compiling 22 assists with 12 points and 10 rebounds in a 105-103 win over NBA-leading San Antonio.
Rondo's triple-double was the sixth of his career and first since a win over New York on Oct. 29 while giving Eastern Conference-leading Boston (27-7) a three-game winning streak. His performance was also a vast improvement from his first two games back from injury, as he totaled 24 assists, 10 points and five boards. That includes four points, eight assists and one rebound in his return during Sunday's 93-79 win at Toronto (12-23).
"I felt a lot better in the past couple of games," said Rondo, who leads the league with 14.0 assists per game. "I'm in a little better rhythm, and I'm able to push off push off a little bit more on my ankle."
Another big effort from Rondo would go a long way in continuing to soften the blow left by Garnett's right leg injury, which has sidelined him for four games and is expected to keep him out for at least one more week.
Rondo is averaging 12.3 points, 10.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds in his last seven games against the Raptors with Boston winning all of them.
The Celtics have taken 14 of the last 16 meetings with Toronto, including two of three this season. They've dominated the Raptors at home, going 15-3 in the last 18 matchups while winning five in a row.
Ray Allen and Paul Pierce have excelled versus the Raptors. Allen is averaging 22.2 points on 52.2 percent shooting in his last 17 games against them, while Pierce has 21.8 points per game in 19 contests. They combined for 53 points Sunday.
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