BOSTON – Rajon Rondo already had played two games since returning from a sprained ankle. But it wasn’t until Wednesday night that he really returned.

The Celtics’ point guard had 22 assists, 12 points and 10 rebounds for his 11th career triple-double, adding six steals to help Boston beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-103 in a matchup of the NBA’s top two teams.

“I felt a lot better in the past couple of games,” said Rondo, who played 431/2 minutes just three games after missing two weeks with an injury. “I’m in a little better rhythm and I’m able to push off a little bit more on my ankle.”

Ray Allen scored 31 points and Glen Davis had 23, one short of his career high, playing in place of the injured Kevin Garnett.

Manu Ginobili scored 24 points with eight rebounds for the Spurs (29-6), who still have the best record in the NBA despite losing back-to-back games for the first time all season.

“We’re not satisfied with where we are and honestly, I don’t really care what our record is,” San Antonio forward Tim Duncan said. “(With) the kind of defense we’re playing, we’re definitely not satisfied with where we are right now.

Allen made 13 of 16 shots to help the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics (27-7) shoot 61 percent from the floor. But he also missed a pair of free throws with 8.1 seconds left and the Celtics up by two.

After a timeout, Ginobili worked down the clock and put up a shot that Pierce blocked and Rondo pulled down for his 10th rebound.

Rondo’s 22 assists were the second most in his career; he had 24 in a game Oct. 29 against the New York Knicks that was his only other triple-double this season. His six steals were a season high and one off his career high, and he scored eight points in the fourth quarter when the Spurs began playing him to pass.

“He did it all,” Pierce said. “Rebounded. Assisted. (Coach Doc Rivers has) kind of been on him about taking that shot there. And he steps up when he needs to and knocks down those shots confidently.”

Duncan and Tony Parker each had 18 points for the Spurs, who were coming off a 128-115 loss to the Knicks in New York on Tuesday in which Coach Gregg Popovich pulled his three stars with more than three minutes left down by just 11.

“This is a different game than New York,” Ginobili said. “New York, we went out there and they beat us in every single area of the game. Today was different.”

And it turned out the Spurs needed the extra rest in a game against Boston that went down to the wire.

Boston’s 61.3 percent shooting percentage was the highest for a Spurs opponent since 1988, according to STATS LLC.

“The fact that we shot 61 percent and won by two is a scary number, when you think about it,” Rivers said. “It took a 61 percent effort from us tonight to win a basketball game at home. That tells you how good that team is.”

Popovich joked that Allen dragged the Celtics down by missing three shots.

“If it was practice … I don’t know if anyone in the league would hit 13 out of 16. He does it in a game,” Popovich said.