Final
Garnett, Celtics slow down streaking Raptors
Nov 27, 2010 - 5:37 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Kevin Garnett scored 26 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, as the Boston Celtics took down the Toronto Raptors, 110-101, at TD Garden.Paul Pierce and Glen Davis both added 18 points for the Celtics, who have won three in a row and six of eight overall. Ray Allen chipped in with 17 points and eight assists for Boston, which got 16 points and nine boards from Shaquille O'Neal.
Rajon Rondo, who missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, finished with four points and 14 assists in his return to the lineup.
"He's one of the greatest point guards ever...plays well," O'Neal said of Rondo. "We tell him he's too unselfish...like any time he had a layup and he kicked it out. But right now our plan is to maintain the leads and just take care of business."
Linas Kleiza had 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Raptors, who saw a four-game winning streak come to an end. Leandro Barbosa and Peja Stojakovic added 14 and 13 points, respectively, in defeat.
Toronto forward Reggie Evans scored seven points before leaving the game with a broken foot.
"Yeah, it's broken. It's broken," Raptors head coach Jay Triano said. "A fracture, break - I don't know. X-rays were positive so I don't know. I have no idea of the timeline or anything else."
The Celtics came out of the gates on fire to grab a quick lead. Garnett and Allen bookended a 19-5 run with a layup and three-pointer, respectively.
Boston shot 66.7 percent from the field over the first 12 minutes to take a 31-20 lead.
Trailing by 14, 38-24, Toronto put together a 15-2 run to get back into the game. Jerryd Bayless' two free throws cut the gap to 40-39 with under six minutes left until half.
Garnett made a pair of free throws prior to the break to give Boston a 58-52 advantage.
The Celtics ripped off 11 straight points early in the third to create some distance. Pierce's jumper gave Boston a 69-54 margin with less than 8 1/2 minutes remaining.
The home team took an 86-67 lead into the fourth.
The Raptors chipped away at their deficit and got it down to six, 99-93, on a Kleiza jumper with 5 1/2 minutes to play.
The Celtics fought right back and took a 105-95 lead on Pierce's trey with under three minutes left. Toronto never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
"We tried but we put ourselves in a bad position throughout the game," Stojakovic said. "It was a big point differential especially against a team like Boston whose really experienced and know how to execute on both ends. It was a big enough lead for them and us to comeback [from.]"
Game Notes
The Raptors squeezed out a 102-101 victory over the Celtics on November 21 at Air Canada Centre to snap an eight-game losing streak in the series. Boston, however, has still won 13 of the past 15 meetings between the teams and five in a row as the host...The Celtics are 7-1 at home this season...The Raptors are 2-7 away from Canada this year...Jose Calderon had 12 points, 15 assists, and five rebounds for the Raptors, who shot 45.1 percent from the floor...Boston made 53.9 percent of its shots.
- TORONTO: 101
BOSTON: 110
Final
Nov 26 10:02 PM - TORONTO: 67
BOSTON: 86
End of 3rd
Nov 26 9:27 PM - TORONTO: 52
BOSTON: 58
Halftime
Nov 26 8:43 PM - TORONTO: 20
BOSTON: 31
End of 1st
Nov 26 8:08 PM
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