Game Rap: Raptors 105, Celtics 91

Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com

The Raptors had back-to-back steals that ended in Kyle Lowry 3-pointers to extend their lead to 17 with 7:08 remaining. Lowry scored 15 of his 32 points in the fourth to lead Toronto to a 105-91 victory and move the team to 47-21 on the season.

Jonas Valanaciunas returned to the active list after missing the previous two games with a left hand contusion. Valanciunas did not enter the game on Friday, but was in uniform, and on the bench with his hand wrapped. Bismack Biyombo started in his place while Norman Powell again got the nod to start. James Johnson missed the game with plantar fasciitis.

Patrick Patterson left the game with 7:08 remaining in the fourth quarter and did not return. The team announced after the game that he had a sore left ankle and that x-rays were negative.

Toronto didn’t look like a team playing its fourth game in five nights when they opened the game shooting 54 percent. Luis Scola was on fire in the first quarter and outscored the Celtics 17-14 himself. Toronto made eight of 16 attempts from deep in the first half, and held a 55-41 lead at the break.

After the Celtics outscored Toronto 33-24 in the third quarter and trimmed the lead to five going into the fourth, Kyle Lowry got to work. The Raptors held Boston to just six points through the first 9:41 of the fourth quarter. Lowry scored 15 points in that span to help Toronto to a 19-point lead before checking out of the game. The Raptors shot 50 percent in the fourth while holding the Celtics to 37 percent shooting, and outscored Boston 26-17 in the final frame.

Kyle Lowry scored a game-high 32 points against the Celtics, showing no signs of fatigue after a big overtime performance in Indiana one day earlier. He played 37 minutes and made 9-of-14 field goals, shot 5-for-8 from the 3-point line, and connected on 9-of-14 free throws to go along with four rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Toronto was a +20 when he was on the floor.

Luis Scola helped the Raptors get off to a great start against Boston, scoring all 17 of his points in the first quarter. Scola outscored the Celtics in the quarter and helped Toronto build a 16-point lead after the opening 12 minutes. He shot 7-for-12 from the floor, 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and added three rebounds and a steal in 21 minutes of action.

“The old man, that’s what the old man does. The engine runs well in the beginning. I call Scola, he’s like an old school Cutlass. He gets you where you got to go, but don’t rely on him for any road trips.”- DeMar DeRozan on Luis Scola’s 17-point first quarter

25… Free throw attempts for the Raptors. Toronto connected on 18 of 25 attempts (72 percent), compared to the Celtics who made 10 of 12 attempts (83 percent).11… Rebounds for Bismack Biyombo, who started in place of Jonas Valanciunas. Prior to the game, Boston head coach Brad Stevens referred to Biyombo’s 16-point, 25-rebound performance against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night as "off the charts.”15… Points, seven rebounds, six assists and a steal from DeMar DeRozan in a well-rounded effort.13… Made 3-pointers for the Raptors. Toronto shot 46 percent from beyond the arc, led by Lowry’s 5-for-8 night. In comparison, the Celtics made nine threes on 21 attempts.20… Toronto’s largest lead in the game

“He was big. He came through and again, he played with force. That is what you have to do. If you don't play with force in this league, people will take your reputation and everything you have. I thought he came in, played with force, met their force.”- Dwane Casey on Kyle Lowry’s fourth quarter performance “We always say it’s not a one or two man show. It’s a 15-man show. We got guys who can play basketball. Lucas came in and affected the game tonight. Every single night everyone has to be prepared to play and we all appreciate everything everyone in his locker room can do for us.”- Kyle Lowry on the team getting contributions across the board“It felt good. I just have to stay away from extremes. There will be games where I’m really good and you just have to stay grounded and there’ll be games where I’m bad and you have to try to keep your composure too. This is a team that we have a bunch of pieces and they all have their role. We know we have two main guys, those are the guys that we want to shoot all the shots and do good, and they’re the guys that will carry us and everybody else, we have a job to do. Mainly our job is to make them happy, help them and be around them. There’ll be some games that the ball will go your way and there’ll be some other games that the ball won’t. The games that go that way, hopefully you have a good game and its a little bit more fun, but the other games you just have to do you job and be okay with it. I’m completely OK with that. I’m happy with that. This is the closest way, the shortest way to win, that’s what we all want and that’s what’s really fun.”- Luis Scola summing up his 17-point first quarter, and the importance of staying level“It’s a good win for us. It was a good test for us. Four tough games and four tough teams. Two on the road and two at home, but it was fun.”- Kyle Lowry pleased with the effort from his team in a tough four games in five nights stretch

The Magic will be in town as the Raptors take on Orlando at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday at 4:30 P.M. ET.