Back At Home And Back To Winning As Celtics Beat Raptors 103-96

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA Game Recap

The Boston Celtics ended 2009 on a sour note losing their last three games of the year on a Western road trip. In the first two games the team took the court without All-Star forward Paul Pierce. In the third game a loss to the Phoenix Suns they not only were without Pierce they were now also missing All-Star forward Kevin Garnett.

Saturday as the club came home to play their first game year of 2010 they would be missing a third starter point guard Rajon Rondo. The Celtics court leader had a sore left hamstring as Boston played host to the Toronto Raptors who came to the “New Garden” sporting a five game winning streak. If the “Green Team” wanted to pull this one out. As Thomas Paine said “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

If the Boston Celtics do fulfill this long time NBA Observer’s preseason prediction and win the 2010 NBA Finals they most likely will think back to that cold night on January 2, when they relied on a mix and match crew to defeat the Toronto Raptors Saturday 103-96. Ray Allen one of just two of the teams regular starters led the team with 23 points but the entire squad stepped up big. Boston shot 51.4% (36-70) from the floor for the game as this was truly a team win in the fullest sense of the word. Chris Bosh led all players with 25 points in the loss.

The Celtics out-scored Toronto in every quarter but the fourth and by then it was too little and far too late for the Raptors. Boston held a slim 29-27 advantage at the end of the first. The Celtics though would pick up their intensity at both ends of the court in the second and would head into the locker room at the half ahead by double digits with the score 58-48.

Neither team looked very sharp in the third quarter still Boston was able to add to their lead on top 78-67 as the period came to an end. The Raptors at no time in the final 12 minutes of play pose any kind of threat of getting back into the contest.

Ray Allen led the Celtics attack as he put up 23 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals while Rasheed Wallace knocked down 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Glen Davis had a strong night off the bench as he scored 15 points, 5 rebounds and 1 steal while Kendrick Perkins had a double-double with 14 points, 10 boards, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal. Tony Allen added 14 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal while Eddie House came off the bench and had 12 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 block.

Chris Bosh scored a game high 25 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal while Andrea Bargnani added 21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. Jarrett Jack had 14 points while Hedo Turkoglu would put up 12 more in the loss. Boston improves to 24-8 and they are off until Wednesday when they will be in Miami to face the Heat while Toronto is now 16-18 and will play host to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

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One Response to “Back At Home And Back To Winning As Celtics Beat Raptors 103-96”

Heels in the League (NBA) 01/02/10 (Part 1) | The 5th Corner on January 3rd, 2010 7:25 pm

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