Celtics-Raptors Preview

By CHRIS ALTRUDA
Posted Apr 12 2012 3:18PM

The short-handed Toronto Raptors had their point guard bloodied and their interior defense soundly beaten their last time out.

One can only imagine a motivated Rajon Rondo's eagerness, then, as he leads the resurgent Boston Celtics into Air Canada Centre for Friday night's game.

Rondo is playing the best basketball of his career as the Celtics (34-24) try to win their fifth consecutive Atlantic Division title and overtake the Indiana Pacers for third in the Eastern Conference. The point guard reached double figures in assists for the 19th straight game - matching a season high with 20 - and recorded his NBA-leading sixth triple-double of the season Wednesday when Boston won 88-86 over Atlanta in overtime.

That came one night after a big win at Miami.

"We kept fighting regardless of the other stuff out there. We stuck together, followed through and got the win," Rondo said after Boston's fourth straight victory and 19th in 26 games kept it two games behind Indiana.

Rondo's streak is the NBA's longest since John Stockton had a 29-game run Jan. 25-March 30, 1992. Rondo is averaging 13.7 assists while posting a 3.5-to-1.0 assist-to-turnover ratio during his streak.

"I know he's on a run," coach Doc Rivers said. "I don't know what it means. He's playing well, but I don't need the numbers to tell me that. He's just been playing extremely well, he's been spectacular ... and that's why we're winning."

Kevin Garnett had 22 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in overtime while Brandon Bass contributed 21 and 10. The Celtics also got valuable minutes from Mickael Pietrus, who filled in for the injured Ray Allen and had eight points and six rebounds in 29 minutes in his first action since suffering a concussion March 23.

Rondo posted one of his 19 career triple-doubles against the Raptors, but he was outplayed by counterpart Jose Calderon in an 86-74 defeat at Toronto (20-39) on Feb. 10 in the most recent meeting. Rondo was held to five points and seven assists while committing five turnovers, and Calderon totaled 17 points and 14 assists without a turnover.

Calderon is expected to play after taking three stitches to his right eyebrow in a 93-75 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday after a collision with Jrue Holliday. It came one week after he absorbed an elbow in the same area from 76ers forward Elton Brand.

"He's going to look like Rocky whether he wants to or not," Casey said.

Casey, though, needs Calderon to fight on both ends of the court. Philadelphia had 27 assists and 58 points in the paint, totals the Celtics can easily attain given Rondo's current level of play.

"We just didn't have any resistance at the point of the ball and you have to contain the ball and I thought their guards did a really good job of getting into the paint, causing problems, causing guys to help and finding the open man," Casey said.

The Raptors likely will again be without leading scorer Andrea Bargnani, who has missed the last two games with a calf strain. Linas Kleiza may also be unavailable after suffering a sore right knee, though rookie Ed Davis did contribute 13 points and 13 rebounds off the bench Wednesday for his second straight double-double.

Raptors hold off Celtics 84-79

Posted Apr 13 2012 11:35PM

TORONTO (AP) The Toronto Raptors want DeMar DeRozan to assume the role of fourth-quarter finisher.

He played the part Friday night, shutting the door on one of the hottest teams in the NBA.

DeRozan scored 13 of his 22 points in the third quarter and made four pivotal free throws down the stretch as the short-handed Toronto Raptors held off the Boston Celtics 84-79 Friday night.

"I just try to be aggressive," DeRozan said. "A couple plays I saw an opportunity to get to the basket and I did. I should have made it and had an and-one ... but that's what it's all about. Getting to the line and knocking down your free throws."

DeRozan was a perfect 13-for-13 from the line as the Raptors ended a four-game losing skid despite being without two of their top players. Big man Andrea Bargnani was shut down for the rest of 2011-12 with an aggravation of a lingering left calf injury that had forced him to miss nearly half the season, while point guard Jose Calderon was still feeling the effects of a right eye bruise and was kept out as a precaution.

"They did an excellent job of coming in offensively and defensively and taking it to a team that has been one of the hottest since the all-star break," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "I didn't sleep at all last night just worrying about getting the ball across half court."

Paul Pierce's 18 points led the Celtics (34-25), who nearly wiped out a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit but ultimately fell shot in the opener of a stretch when they play six games in six different cities over an eight-day span.

Boston remained three games ahead of Philadelphia atop the Atlantic Division after the 76ers dropped a 95-89 decision to the New Jersey Nets.

Kevin Garnett had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, while Rajon Rondo dished out 12 assists, giving him 20 straight games with double-digit assists.

"They have been playing some decent basketball and have always been known as a hard working team," Garnett said. "They shared the ball and were aggressive. We couldn't hit shots or get any stops. Tough game."

The Celtics used relentless full-court pressure and timely shot-making to erase Toronto's double-digit edge, pulling to within one on a three-point play by Pierce with 38.8 seconds remaining. DeRozan drew a foul on Toronto's next possession and made both free throws to put Toronto ahead 78-75, but Pierce answered with a one-handed slam to trim the deficit with 20.5 seconds left.

"I just thought the way we set the tone to begin the third quarter just changed the game," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I told our guys you can never activate a team and I thought we did that. They haven't won a lot of games and once they felt like they had a chance to win, they made great shots and made great plays."

Two more free throws by DeRozan extended the lead, and Pierce missed badly on a game-tying 3-point attempt. Linas Kleiza knocked down four free throws in the waning moments to put the game away, giving Toronto a split of the four-game season series.

Kleiza added 17 points in a reserve role for Toronto, which finished with a 50-37 rebounding edge.

"I don't know if it's fatigue from going through a rough schedule, end of the week ... you know it's crazy because we have three games in a row," Pierce said. "We should have come out with better urgency in the third quarter.

"Right now we have a lot to play for, we are playing for playoff positioning and that has to be the mindset regardless of who steps on the court. So with the possibility of moving up to the three or four seed these are must-win games for us."

NOTES: The Celtics were without G Ray Allen, who is hobbled by a sore right ankle and did not travel to Toronto. He is considered day-to-day. ... Kleiza returned to the lineup after missing nearly the entire second half of Wednesday's loss to Philadelphia with a sore knee. ... Toronto finished with just nine first-half field goals, narrowly avoiding the franchise low of seven set Jan. 11, 2010 in Indiana. ... Boston plays just twice over the final six days of the regular season, wrapping things up with home dates against Miami and Milwaukee.

Notebook: Raptors 84, Celtics 79

Posted Friday April 13, 2012 11:12PM

By Josh Lewenberg, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: DeMar DeRozan and the depleted Toronto Raptors (21-39) held off a late surge from the Boston Celtics (34-25) to pick up an unexpected 84-79 victory at the Air Canada Centre Friday night. DeRozan led all scorers with 22 points for the Raptors, who snapped a four-game losing skid and put an end to Boston's four-game winning streak. Having already been eliminated from the postseason the Raptors played like a team with nothing to lose, while the Celtics are in need of every win they can get as they jockey for playoff position.

The Raptors were without leading scorer Andrea Bargnani, who will miss the remainder of the season resting a strained left calf, and starting point guard Jose Calderon, who sat out with a swollen right eye. Although they shot just 34 percent, they took control of the game during a big third-quarter run. Linas Kleiza played through a sore right knee to score 17 points and grab 12 rebounds off the bench, Alan Anderson has 12 points and Amir Johnson added 10 points to go along with nine boards for Toronto.

Boston pulled within one points in the final minute of the game but ultimately fell short in the dying moments. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Kevin Garnett had a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards. Although Rajon Rondo scored just eight, he extended his streak of double-digit assists to 20 games with 12 dimes, seven of which came in the first quarter.

QUOTABLE: "We had Alan Anderson and Ben Uzoh and I didn't sleep at all last night just worrying about getting the ball across half court. They did an excellent job of coming in offensively and defensively and taking it to a team that has been one of the hottest since the All-Star break."
-- Raptors coach Dwane Casey

THE STAT: The Celtics entered the evening 27th in the league in rebounding, averaging 38.9 per game and once again their lack of toughness on the boards was part of their undoing. Toronto outrebounded them 50-37 in the game and held a 15-9 advantage in second-chance points.

TURNING POINT: Despite scoring just 30 points going into halftime, their lowest scoring first half of the season, Toronto trailed by six points as the third quarter began. The Raptors caught Boston off guard in the third, shooting 53 percent and outscoring the Celtics 27-11 in the quarter. Although Boston engineered a run in the final minutes of the game, they could never recover from their poor performance in the third quarter.

HOT: After shooting just 1-for-8 and scoring five points in the first half, DeRozan led Toronto's third-quarter run. He had 13 points and shot six of his 13 free throws in the period.

NOT: The Celtics shot just 37 percent as a team thanks in large part to their struggling stars. Pierce, Garnett and Rondo combined to shoot 14-for-38 from the field.

GOOD MOVE: With just 26 seconds left, up by only one point, DeRozan left nothing to chance, taking the ball hard to the rim and drawing the foul. The Raptors guard would extend the lead at the line, where he was a perfect 13-of-13 in the game.

NOTABLE: Celtics guard Ray Allen, who did not travel to Toronto, missed his second consecutive game nursing a sore right ankle that kept him out for six games last month. ... Avery Bradley made his 11th start in the last 12 games in place of Allen and scored 15 points for Boston. ... Prior to the game the Raptors announced that Bargnani would miss the rest of the season as a precaution to eliminate any further risk on the calf injury that has sidelined him for 29 games in 2011-12. Toronto is 8-21 without their leading scorer. ... Calderon missed his second game this month with swelling around his right eye, where he received two sets of stitches. The team is hopeful that he could return in Atlanta on Sunday. ... Rondo's streak of 20 straight games with double-digits in assists is the longest since John Stockton's 29-game run in 1992. Rondo becomes the third player to post double-digit assists in 20 consecutive games since 1986, joining Stockton and Magic Johnson. ... The Raptors have split the four-game season-series with Boston. ... The last time the Raptors won or split the season-series with the Celtics was 2006-07.

UP NEXT: The Celtics continue their stretch of three games in three nights Saturday @ New Jersey and Sunday @ Charlotte before playing @ New York on Tuesday. The Raptors play @ Atlanta Sunday, return home vs. Atlanta Monday and are @ Miami Wednesday.

• Celtics: Allen, O'Neal
• Raptors: Bargnani, Bayless

• Celtics: --
• Raptors: Kleiza

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #71 Rodney Mott, #28 Tommy Nunez Jr.
• Attendance: 17270
• Duration: 2:26