Celtics’ Rajon Rondo out for season with torn knee ligament

Rajon Rondo, the Boston Celtics’ All-Star point guard, is out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

The Celtics, who snapped a six-game losing streak with a 100-98 double-overtime victory over the Miami Heat in his absence Sunday, announced the news after Rondo left TD Garden before the game.

Rondo injured the knee on Friday night while playing the Atlanta Hawks, who came back from a 27-point deficit to win in double overtime.

The injury was originally called a hyperextension, but Rondo felt discomfort in the knee during the Celtics’ morning shoot-around Sunday. He was taken to a hospital, where an MRI exam revealed the torn ligament.

Rondo had been having a banner season, registering triple-doubles in back-to-back games last week against the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks while leading the NBA with 11.1 assists a game. Despite his efforts, the Celtics had fallen below .500 and into eighth place in the Eastern Conference during their losing streak and are now 21-23 this season after the win over the Heat.

Rondo had been averaging career highs in points (13.7) and rebounds (5.6) as well this season, when he was shooting 48.4% from the field.

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