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| Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce, right, reacts after a Celtics score, next to Kendrick Perkins in the third quarter. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Michael Dwyer) |
Reserve Antoine Wright put the latest Raptors’ loss in perspective Friday.
"There’s a lot of frustration in this locker-room, and we have to say ’enough is enough,"’ said Wright. "If we continue to go forward like this, it’s going to continue to happen to us. "We can’t blame the refs; we can’t blame the game plan. It’s about making hard cuts and getting the ball where it’s supposed to be." That didn’t happen Friday, as Ray Allen scored 20 points and Paul Pierce had 18 with seven assists and five rebounds as the Celtics won their third in a row, 116-103 over Toronto.
Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett were perfect from the floor, scoring 18 and 12 points, respectively, and Rajon Rondo had 12 points and 11 assists.
Despite the win, Celtics coach Doc Rivers wasn’t pleased with his team’s performance early.
"We did defend, and it turned the game around for us," said Rivers. "We were just having a feel-good game: You score, pat them on the back, and then they score. We call it ’Buddy Ball.’ Then we stopped."
The Celtics shot 15-for-18 and led 33-27 after one quarter. The Raptors were 12-for-17 in the second quarter and led 55-54 at the half.
In the third, Boston continued its hot shooting but also played defence, forcing four turnovers during a 13-0 run that took seven minutes, 16 seconds and turned a four-point deficit into a 70-61 lead.
It was a 17-point lead later in the third, and the Raptors never got closer than nine points in the fourth.
"We scored the first couple of baskets and then we were startled a little bit offensively," Raptors coach Jay Triano said. "And their starting bigs didn’t miss a shot. Both guys were perfect."
Elsewhere in the NBA it was: Charlotte 94 Cleveland 87; Washington 94 Miami 84; Atlanta 100 Philadelphia 86; Dallas 113 Indiana 92; San Antonio 92 Houston 84; L.A. Clippers 104 Detroit 96; Phoenix 120 Minnesota 95; Oklahoma 108 Milwaukee 90; Denver 128 New York 125; Sacramento 109 New Jersey 96; and Memphis 106 Portland 96.
At Boston, Chris Bosh had 20 points and 13 rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu also scored 20 points and reserve Jarrett Jack added 18 for Toronto. The Raptors have lost six of their last eight games, including a 116-81 loss to Charlotte on Wednesday night that was the worst in franchise history.
Bosh was momentarily injured after being "kneed in the pelvic region" during a mid-air collision when Pierce dunked over him on the first basket of the fourth quarter. The Raptors bench was incensed when Pierce stood over him in a taunting pose; Pierce was called for a technical foul.
"I just don’t think that’s very sportsmanlike," Triano said. "Great play, but I don’t think you need to stand there and taunt afterwards."
Turkoglu’s steal and dunk gave the Raptors a 61-57 lead with 10:39 left in the third quarter, but Boston scored the next 13 points.
Rasheed Wallace scored 15 points as a reserve, hitting three of his first four three-point attempts. He also had his fifth technical foul of the season, for complaining after he was called for a personal foul early in the second quarter.
Wallace had been 9-for-54 from three-point range in his previous 10 games and had scored in double figures once in that span. But he made 3-of-6 on Friday and shot 6-for-11 from the floor overall.
"Offence doesn’t concern me. It’s easier for people to get layups than it is to get stops on defence or a block. That’s what I hang my hat on, is defence," Wallace said.
"Everyone in their career is going to go through a slump, but the thing is how you react to it. You’re either going to talk about it or you’re going to try to shoot your way out of it and I’m going to try to shoot my way out of it."
Turkoglu had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Orlando Magic last season in the decisive seventh game of the Eastern Conference semifinals to end Boston’s hopes of repeating as NBA champions. He went to the Raptors over the summer and is now pestering the Celtics from inside the division.
Bobcats 94 Cavaliers 87
At Charlotte, N.C., Gerald Wallace had 31 points and 14 rebounds while outplaying LeBron James, and the Cleveland Cavaliers looked disjointed in Shaquille O’Neal’s return from injury.
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Wizards 94 Heat 84
At Miami, Antawn Jamison scored 24 points, Nick Young added 22 and Washington beat the Heat for the first time in seven tries.
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Hawks 100 76ers 86
At Philadelphia, Jamal Crawford scored 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, Mike Bibby added 21 and Atlanta snapped a two-game losing streak.
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Mavericks 113 Pacers 92
At Indianapolis, Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points to lead Dallas over Indiana.
Nowitzki, who entered the night sixth in the NBA at 26.9 points per game, made 10-of-14 field goals and 11-of-13 free throws. Jason Terry scored 17 and Kris Humphries added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks (12-4), winners of five straight road games.
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Spurs 92 Rockets 84
At Houston, Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess recorded double-doubles, Tony Parker had 19 points and seven assists as San Antonio earned its first road win of the season.
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Clippers 104 Pistons 96
At Auburn Hills, Mich., Chris Kaman scored 26 points and Baron Davis added 25 to help Los Angeles Clippers top Detroit.
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Suns 120 Timberwolves 95
At Minneapolis, Jason Richardson scored 22 points to help Phoenix send the Bucks to their 15th straight loss.
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Thunder 108 Bucks 90
At Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant had 33 points and 12 rebounds, Russell Westbrook outplayed rookie Brandon Jennings, and the Thunder beat Milwaukee.
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Nuggets 128 Knicks 125
At Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored a career-high 50 points, and the Nuggets beat New York for their 17th straight regular-season home win.
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Kings 109 Nets 96
At Sacramento, Calif., New Jersey dropped its 16th straight game to open the season, moving within one of matching the worst start in NBA history.
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Grizzlies 106 Trail Blazers 96
At Portland, Ore., Zach Randolph scored 21 points and Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo added 19 each and Memphis withstood a second-half rally.
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