Boston 96, Toronto 73

[recap] [box score]

The Raptors aren't very good, so I'm not going to pretend that this win means much of anything or that the Celtics are even on the road to being "back." But I will say that as a fan, it was nice to have a game against an inferior opponent go the way we've gotten used to around here for the last several years. Boston jumped out to a 29-14 first-quarter lead, then buried Toronto in the third quarter after the second unit let the Raps back in the game in the second.

The big news from this game, really, is that Rajon R-ndo left near the end of the third quarter after landing on his elbow/wrist trying to break his fall after being fouled by Linas Kleiza. (Kleiza is a tough customer and the refs called a flagrant on the play, but it didn't look to me like a dirty play at all.) He was down for a while, then got up to shoot his free throws -- a good sign, all things considered, because the game was well in hand at the time and he didn't need to take them (if he hadn't, he'd have not been allowed back in the game at any point). R-ndo is day-to-day and reportedly said he'll be ready to play Friday when the Suns come to town.

Up until his injury, R-ndo was excellent, scoring on a bunch of nifty drives and getting to the free throw line. So easily was he getting to the basket and scoring, in fact, that he didn't have his first assist until midway through the third quarter -- certainly the longest I ever remember seeing him going before dropping his first dime.

It's been a difficult early season for R-ndo, on whose shoulders a heavier offensive burden has been placed. To be effective, he needs teammates who can either knock down shots (to spread the floor and open up the lane) or who can get out on the fast break with him, where his vision and creativity can flourish. As has been well-documented, however, the Celtics are busy playing their way into shape, and no one is really knocking down many shots. This isn't something he's used to, and I think his production has suffered a bit as he tries to adjust.

Any win is a good win when you're struggling, but just as important as the result was the progress made on the court: The Celtics are starting to knock down some open looks, rebound, and get into shape. There's a long way to go, but on any journey, the first step is going to be small.

Notes:

* Mickael Pietrus hit four of seven three-pointers Wednesday night, the only seven shots he took. In five games this year, he's 11-for-27 behind the arc -- and three for five inside it. If he continues to hit at his current 40 percent clip, that's fine, but the guy is at 36 percent for his career from downtown and I'm not convinced he's a good enough outside shooter to justify such an imbalance. At least he contributes defensively, as well.
* E'Twaun Moore has gotten Avery Bradley's minutes the last couple of games. (Bradley only played in garbage time against the Raps.) Moore has not, in my eyes, played particularly well, and I wonder if his inclusion in the rotation has more to do with Keyon Dooling's absence than anything else. Without Dooling, the second unit has been badly hurting for offense, and Bradley is a disaster offensively. If Moore's not knocking down shots, however -- and he isn't -- the Celtics are probably better off with Bradley's defense on the floor. We'll see what happens when Dooling returns.
* Another position battle is that for backup center, between Greg Stiemsma and Chris Wilcox. Doc has said that neither has separated himself, and that he'd use them situationally: Stiemsma in physical games, Wilcox in more uptempo contests. Wilcox has been bothered by a sore calf and missed the last three games, and so Stiemsma got the backup pivot minutes against the Raptors. I prefer Stiemsma to Wilcox because of the rim protection he provides, but if he's gonna stick in the league, he'll need to learn to grab a rebound with two hands, rather than try to tip it to a teammate with one. Against the Raptors, Stiemsma rebounded as though he were trying to prevent the ball from touching his body, swatting it in the direction of his teammates on the perimeter. There are times where tipping a rebound is appropriate, but it seemed to be Stiemsma's default Wednesday.