With Ray Allen injured and KG in foul trouble, it was time for a dominant performance from the Truth.

Stepping up (Getty Images).

No. 34 overcame the loss of two thirds of the Big Three and put his team on his broad shoulders, dropping 30 points and dishing out four assists in an 89-77 victory over the New Orleans Hornets in the Big Easy.

“Night in and night out I don’t know what the team is going to need from me,” Paul told the Associated Press. “Obviously my scoring was needed, so I had to step up. I just feel out the game, see how it’s going and play from there.”

The Truth got off to a blazing start against one of the premier Western Conference teams, notching 15 points on 5-8 shooting in the first quarter while helping the Cs to a two-point lead. Paul’s squad began to miss the outside shooting of Allen, who was lost in the first quarter due to a sprained thumb. The Hornets held the Cs to just 19 points in the second quarter, putting Boston down by a bucket heading into the break.

No. 34 did his damage from the charity stripe in the third, draining all six attempts while totaling ten points in the frame. His offensive efficiency wasn’t enough to build a substantial lead, as the pesky Hornets stayed right with the veteran Celtics, and trailed by just two points heading into the fourth.

The Celtics did not want to commit the same miscues that marked their collapses down the stretch against the Lakers and Spurs last week, so this time it was the Truth and his boys who made the plays when it counted. They dominated the game’s final 12 minutes holding the Hornets to just 13 points, and Paul’s final fadeaway jumper put the Celtics up by 12 with just over two minutes remaining, icing a hard-fought road victory to begin their six-game road trip.

“We learned from our mistakes,” Paul told the Boston Globe. “It was all about our execution, especially in the fourth quarter. We defended at a higher level in the fourth. And those are the two things we have to do, especially in the first game of a road trip. You’ve got to get off to a good start.”

NEXT UP
Paul and the Celtics travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks on Thursday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 PM Eastern Time, and you can catch all the action on TNT.

RELATED STORIES
Celtics defeat Hornets, 89-77 (AP, February 11, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/games/20090211/BOSNOH/recap.html
Celtics swarm Hornets in fourth (Boston Globe, February 12, 2009)
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/02/12/celt...
Pierce, Celtics spoil Paul’s return to Hornets (AP, February 11, 2009)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jMmEGIJahMhaousdkCt-fO...

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