BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics overcame Detroits dominance inside by passing the ball precisely and protecting it better than they

BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics overcame Detroits dominance inside by passing the ball precisely and protecting it better than they had all season. Mark Melancon Jersey . Rajon Rondo had 18 of Bostons season-high 38 assists and the Celtics committed just seven turnovers in a 118-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. "When one guy has it going as far as passing the ball, its contagious," said Rondo, who also scored 11 points and didnt turn the ball over. "We scored a bunch of points tonight. We kept on pushing. We played free and just had fun." Jeff Green scored 27 points, Kris Humphries had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Kelly Olynyk added 18 points off the bench for the Celtics in their second-highest scoring output of the season. Jerryd Bayless had 15 points and Jared Sullinger 14 for the Celtics, who got at least one assist from every player that entered the game. "I think we do have a pretty unselfish group moving the ball. We missed a couple of extra passes, but not very many," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "Its good to see the body movement and the ball movement. I think weve been pretty active on that end of the floor." Josh Smith had 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons and was one of three Detroit players with double-doubles. Andre Drummond had 18 points and 22 rebounds and Greg Monroe finished with 22 points and 14 boards. Will Bynum added 18 points off the bench for the Pistons, who have lost seven of eight and 10 of their last 12. "I think that our effort level needs to be a little bit harder," Bynum said. "I think maybe we need to play with a sense of urgency. We are trying to make the playoffs." Detroit controlled the game inside, outrebounding Boston 54-39 and outscoring the Celtics 64-44 in the paint. However, the Pistons committed 16 turnovers and could not cool off the Celtics once they started hitting shots. Boston shot 15 for 22 in the third quarter, including eight 3-pointers, in its highest scoring game since beating Orlando 120-105 on Nov. 11. "Sometimes we close out hoping they miss and I thought down the stretch of the game, we closed out trying to make them miss," Detroit coach John Loyer said. "We dared them to shoot the basketball and they had a very good shooting night, but youve got to adjust as the game goes on and guys are shooting the ball." Boston beat the Pistons for the first time in three meetings this season. Detroit had rallied from 21-points down to win in Boston on Dec. 18, but the Celtics were able to hold off the Pistons each time they rallied down the stretch this time. After going 2 for 14 from 3-point range in the first half, the Celtics made five from beyond-the-arc in the first 6 minutes of the third quarter. Smith pulled Detroit to 69-63 on a 3-pointer with 7:27 left in the period, the Green made back-to-back 3s followed by another from Bayless to stretch Bostons lead to 78-63. The Celtics finished the period with eight 3s and led 95-84 entering the fourth. Monroes three-point play with 9:28 remaining cut Bostons lead to 97-89, then Bynum pulled up for a jumper on a fast break to get the Pistons within six. Detroit stayed within reach and pulled to 113-109 on two free throws by Bynum, but the Pistons had to foul and Humphries sealed it by making two from the line. The Celtics shot 50 per cent in the second quarter and led by 13, but Detroit closed the half on a 9-2 run to pull within 57-49 at the break. NOTES: Drummonds 45 double-doubles are most for a Detroit player since Isiah Thomas had 47 in 1985-86. ... Humphries previous high this season was 19 points. ... Rondo reached 4,101 career assists, passing Bill Russell (4,100) for fifth place in team history. ... Boston finished with just seven turnovers. Madison Bumgarner Jersey . "If we could score a six in every game, obviously I would be pretty excited," Jones said. "Its a long week but a short week. Its a pretty short round robin from what were used to so you dont want to get behind the eight ball early. Gregor Blanco Jersey . -- Zach Johnson asked his short-iron approach on the par-4 18th to "Do something right, baby. http://www.sfgiantsrookiestore.com/Giants-Joe-Panik-Kids-Jersey/ . The Tournament of Champions, which starts Friday, is his first event since a freak accident in Shanghai two months ago. Snedeker was on a Segway scooter during a corporate outing at Sheshan International when he took a tumble and injured his left knee.SAN ANTONIO -- Having no answer for Kevin Love for three-and-a-half quarters, the San Antonio Spurs made Minnesota solve their Big 3. The Timberwolves failed. Tony Parker had 29 points to offset Loves season-high 42 points and San Antonio rallied for a 117-110 victory over Minnesota on Friday night. Manu Ginobili had 20 points and nine assists, fueling a 37-21 fourth quarter that helped the Spurs avoid their second home loss this season. Tim Duncan added 12 points and 14 rebounds. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have won three NBA titles together and are the active leaders for wins as a trio. That experience paid off against the Timberwolves, who have not made the playoffs since 2005. "Its got to show up somewhere," Duncan said of the trios experience. "If you want to call it that, it is what it is. We know whats going on out there, especially when it gets down to crunch time and things really count. Weve made plays long enough that we know where each other is going to be." Ginobili and Parker combined to score San Antonios final points in a 26-12 closing run, and teamed with Duncan to dish out all but one of the teams final five assists and seven of its last 11 rebounds. "We know what theyre capable of and when you get them into a two- or three-minute game, theyre incredible," Love said. "Theyve played together for a very long time, but they just made plays and we missed shots that we usually make." Kawhi Leonard had 19 points and Boris Diaw and Marco Belinelli had 12 points apiece for San Antonio. Nikola Pekovic had 18 points, Ricky Rubio added 15 points and Kevin Martin had 14 for Minnesota, which had won two straight. Ginobili scored 16 points in the final quarter, helping San Antonio overcome a lethargic start. His reverse layup with 2 minutes remaining extended San Antonios lead to 111-108. "Manu is playing great," Parker said. "Hes got his legs. He looks like hes fresh and hes making his shots. In the fourth quarter, he was very aggressive. That was big for us." Parker was just as big, making his only 3-point attempt of the quarter while scoring 12 pooints on 5-for-7 shooting. Mel Ott Jersey. "Thats why he is one of the best in the league, and thats why he almost won (the NBA title) by himself last year with the Spurs," Rubio said. "Right now, hes one of the top two or top three point guards in the league." San Antonio needed the trios contributions to offset Love. He was 8 for 9 on 3-pointers and had 14 rebounds. He had 26 points after halftime, nearly besting his previous season-high of 34 in the second half alone. "He shot the ball incredibly," Duncan said. "He made some tough ones and just kept on going. Boris did a great job in the last six minutes of really getting onto him and making him do something else. It changed the game a little bit for us." Loves final points came on a pair of free throw with 6 minutes remaining and his last basket was on a dunk 41 seconds earlier. Leonard scored nine straight points midway through the third quarter, keeping San Antonio in the game while Minnesota got hot behind the 3-point line. The Timberwolves were 6 for 12 on 3s in the third, making three consecutive attempts to take a 79-75 lead with 4 minutes left. Love had the opening and closing 3s in the run, finishing with 19 points in the third quarter. He was 5 for 6 on 3s in the period, and 7 for 9 overall as Diaw, Jeff Ayres and all the help defence the Spurs provided failed to slow him. "He is a great player," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "When you can play inside and outside the way he does, he is a tough cover. I think we could have done a better job. I thought we made some really fundamental errors in guarding him, but, be that as it may, he is a monster." NOTES: Spurs centres Tiago Splitter (tightness left calf) and Aron Baynes (calf strain) both sat out. ... Minnesota F Chase Budinger (knee surgery) missed the game, as did C Ronny Turiaf (fractured right elbow). ... Entering Fridays game, San Antonio leads the league in assists, averaging 25.0 per game. ... Entering Fridays game, a quarter of Corey Brewers 114 baskets for Minnesota this season had come on dunks. He is shooting 45 per cent from the field. ' ' '