Allen hits 7 3s, Celtics lead at half
June 6, 2010
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Ray Allen(notes) set an NBA finals record with seven 3-pointers in ahalf and scored 27 points, leading the Boston Celtics to a 54-48 lead at thebreak over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the NBA finals on Sunday night.
Allen tied the finals record for a game by hitting his first seven3-pointers before his final attempt of the half spun out. He equaled the markfor a game he shares with Scottie Pippen and Kenny Smith.
Allen, Smith and Michael Jordan all previously made 6 3-pointers in a half.
Rajon Rondo(notes) had the Celtics off and running as they tried to even the seriesbefore it moved to Boston. He was on pace for another playoff triple-double withsix points, six rebounds and eight assists.
Kobe Bryant(notes) was only 4 of 11 and had three fouls, but his steal and3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left sent the Lakers to the locker room with momentumafter being outplayed for nearly the entire half.
Allen, in foul trouble throughout Game 1, kept the Celtics in it earlyduring the Lakers’ strong start, then helped them build a 14-point lead in thesecond quarter.
Following a tribute to John Wooden from Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbarand Bill Walton, Los Angeles jumped to an 8-2 lead. The Celtics’ foul woescontinued when Kevin Garnett(notes) was forced to the bench after picking up two withinthe first three minutes.
But Rondo pushed the pace and the Lakers kept losing track of Allen, whomanaged only 12 points in 27 minutes in Boston’s 102-89 loss in the opener.
Pau Gasol(notes) scored 14 points, while Bryant and Andrew Bynum(notes) both had 11 forthe Lakers.
A flurry of seven straight points late in the first period sent the Celticsto the second ahead 29-22. Bryant was just 1 of 5 for two points in the quarter
The Celtics’ lead reached double digits for the first time when Rondograbbed a rebound and pushed the ball up the court to set up Allen’s 3-pointerfor a 36-26 advantage with 9:15 remaining in the half. Allen later knocked downconsecutive 3s to make it 42-28 before the Lakers got close late in the half.
The series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Tuesday night.
Connect with Yahoo! Sports on Facebook for breaking news and exclusive contests and prizes.