The Boston Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors, 117-108, at TD Bank Arena on Wednesday evening.
The Celtics (26-18) came into the contest looking to put an end to the perpetual underachieving they've been guilty of this season. A victory over a quality division rival like the Raptors (33-13) certainly would be a step in the right direction, yet things didn't exactly start off on the right foot in the first quarter. Toronto outscored Boston by a 36-30 margin over the first 12 minutes, but the home squad roared back to forge a 64-53 lead by halftime. True to form, however, the Raptors clawed back in the third, and they led by a 104-100 margin as late as the 4:22 mark of the final period. The Celtics then finished on a 17-4 run over the final 3:54 to eradicate that deficit and nearly notch a double-digit win.
Kawhi Leonard paced the Raptors with 33 points, adding four rebounds, two assists and four steals. Serge Ibaka turned in 22 points and 10 rebounds. Danny Green managed 15 points, six rebounds and one assist. Greg Monroe and Norman Powell generated matching 11-point tallies, with Monroe also notably bringing in nine rebounds. Kyle Lowry mustered 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds, one steal and one block.
Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 27 points, supplementing them with a career-high 18 assists, five rebounds, one steal and one block. Al Horford managed 24 points, seven rebounds, one assist and two blocks. Gordon Hayward delivered 18 points, five assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block. Jayson Tatum generated a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included two assists and one block.
The Raptors head back home to take the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night, while the Celtics remain home and tangle with the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday evening.
