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Raptors rout playoff-bound Celtics in season finale

Apr 18, 2013 - 6:43 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - DeMar DeRozan totaled a game-high 24 points as Toronto whipped playoff-bound Boston, 114-90, in the season finale for both teams at Air Canada Centre.

Rudy Gay added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors (34-48), who will miss out on the postseason for the fifth straight season. Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and seven boards, while Alan Anderson added 16 points for the hosts.

"We're making the right steps in the building process," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said.

Jordan Crawford poured in 16 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Celtics (41-40), who will begin the postseason as the seventh seed in the East and will take on the New York Knicks on Saturday. Terrence Williams totaled 12 points, with Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley contributing 11 points, respectively.

"We were working on things we need to get better at," Bradley said.

Boston took the floor missing both Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry, sitting by coach's decision.

With little to play for, the Raptors nonetheless kept up the pressure in the second half and built on a 10-point advantage.

Valanciunas' slam pushed the Toronto lead to 72-51 early in the third quarter, and DeRozan's trey made it 78-56 roughly three minutes later. It was a 96-70 spread heading to the fourth.

Anderson's two free throws and a triple pushed Toronto into double digits at 103-74 with 8 1/2 minutes left, and that effectively sealed the outcome.

Toronto led by as many as seven in the opening quarter, but was only ahead 31-30 after 12 minutes thanks to 12 points from Gay -- including three makes from beyond the arc.

A 12-2 run through the middle portion of the second quarter turned a one-point Boston lead into a nine-point Raptors bulge, 48-39, on two from the line from DeRozan.

Landry Fields' runner boosted the hosts to a 59-45 edge, which stood at 59-49 at the break.

Game Notes

Toronto sat Linas Kleiza, Sebastian Telfair and Mickael Pietrus ... Despite the loss, the Celtics took three of four from the Raptors this season and have won 16 of the last 20 meetings since the start of the 2008-09 season ... The Raptors finished the season 21-20 at home -- their first winning record at ACC since 2009-10 -- while the Celtics ended up 14-27 on the road.