Boston 94, Toronto 88

The Celtics snapped a four-game losing streak in Toronto Sunday, hanging on during a shaky fourth quarter to win.

[recap] [box score] [highlights]

Ray Allen is the Celtics most responsible for this one, scoring 36 points while making 11 of 14 shots overall, including eight of 10 three-pointers.

This game was pretty odd -- if you look at the score and Allen's shooting line, you'd figure Boston needed every one of those shots. But we were up 20 after three quarters before going cold in the fourth. And it could have been closer, as Toronto missed some open looks from behind the arc in the last few minutes.

I think it was close to exactly the performance the team needed. Our defensive effort was great for most the night, we got Ray going, and while we faltered in the fourth, we made enough plays to win -- which we didn't do the other night in crunch time against Houston. All this despite not having Kendrick Perkins -- out with the shoulder injury he aggravated Friday night against Cleveland -- and Tony Allen. (Toronto was missing starting center Jermaine O'Neal, and their point guard, Jose Calderon, played just 22 minutes as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury).

Noteworthy performances:

-Rajon Rondo was the catalyst for our offense he had been before Christmas, perhaps taking advantage of a slowed Calderon for 14 points and 11 assists.

-Brian Scalabrine got the start in Perkins' place, and while he found foul trouble early and eventually fouled out, he gave us 25 minutes of solid, energetic defense, and he chipped in offensively with seven points. Can't really ask for more than that from the guy at this point.

-Glen Davis was the other big whose playing time benefitted from Perk's absence. While Davis did grab 11 rebounds, he was missed 11 of his 12 shots from the floor, a mix of open jumpers and easy layups. I don't really understand Doc's reasoning here; Davis was struggling offensively and got 30 minutes (a lot for a guy his size), while Leon Powe had five points and three rebounds in just nine minutes. I'm inclined to give Powe most of Baby's playing time anyway (though they are often on the court together), but that is particularly so when Davis struggles like he did today. He was sulking, too, not running back as hard on D as the game wore on and the misses piled up.

-Kevin Garnett also struggled, going just three of 16 from the field. He was just an inch or two off the entire night. I would say the majority of his jumpers missed the exact same way: front rom, backboard, and off. It's good to get a win even on a night where he can't buy one.

-Paul Pierce didn't have a very big game, though he did make a big bucket late. I hope it doesn't have anything to do with a knee injury he suffered in the first quarter; Scalabrine was knocked down and fell into Pierce's knee -- it looked like a little bit of a hyperextension or something. Pierce came back in the second quarter and didn't look to be hobbling around. I'm inclined to think that his lack of shooting (just five of 11) had more to do with how hot Ray was than anything with his knee.
We've got these same Raptors in Boston Monday night (7:30 p.m. Eastern). I don't know if Perkins or Tony Allen or O'Neal or Calderon will be playing. Because it's on NBATV, I won't be able to watch it, but I'll look at the box score and see if I can pick up on anything.