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Celtics rout Raptors

Jan 19, 2012 - 5:05 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Rajon Rondo scored a game-high 21 points on 7- of-8 shooting as the Boston Celtics cruised to a 96-73 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Rondo, though, left the game late in the third quarter with a wrist injury after taking a hard foul by Toronto's Linas Kleiza on a layup attempt. He laid on the ground in pain for several minutes before getting up with the help of trainers and walked into the locker room after making 1-of-2 free throws.

"I was just trying to break my fall," said Rondo. "I'm day-to-day. We'll see how I feel tomorrow."

Kevin Garnett added 15 points and seven rebounds as Boston snapped its five- game losing streak.

Gary Forbes scored 18 points to pace a Raptors team that was held to 37.7 percent shooting in the game. DeMar DeRozan contributed 11 points in Toronto's sixth straight defeat.

After a DeRozan three-pointer early in the first quarter brought Toronto within 8-7, Boston used a 13-0 run to take a 21-7 lead. Toronto was held without a bucket for over six minutes until a short jumper by Ed Davis stopped the spurt.

Boston took a 29-14 lead into the second quarter thanks to that strong defensive performance, holding Toronto to 30 percent from the floor (6- for-20). That included a 2-for-8 mark from beyond the arc while forcing four Raptors turnovers in the first quarter.

Rondo had 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the opening frame.

Toronto battled back in the second, outscoring the Celtics 24-15 in the quarter to get within 44-38 at the break.

But Boston pulled away in the third as Rondo's driving layup less than three minutes into the quarter put the Celtics up by double digits, 51-41, and Toronto never threatened again.

Boston led by as much as 22 in the third quarter and by no less than 18 in the fourth as the Celtics' bench played the majority of the final stanza.

"I thought we competed for a while and then we gave in," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. "We have to be the aggressor, we got to be the desperate team and compete for 48 minutes. That's what we are looking for, competition for 48 minutes and the Celtics did that tonight and we didn't."

Game Notes

Raptors leading scorer Andrea Bargnani missed his fourth straight game with a strained left calf...Kleiza was called for a flagrant one foul on the play Rondo was injured...Rondo was diagnosed with a sore right wrist and is day-to- day...Boston improved to 4-4 at home this season, while Toronto fell to 2-7 on the road.