Raptors-Celtics Preview

By MIKE LIPKA
Posted Nov 16 2012 2:06PM

The Toronto Raptors have been forced to adapt without their starting point guard, who is expected to remain out for at least another week or two.

The Boston Celtics hope they don't have to wait that long for the NBA assist leader to return.

Rajon Rondo's status is uncertain for Saturday, when the Celtics look for a ninth consecutive home victory over Toronto.

Rondo is averaging 12.5 assists but he missed his first game this season Thursday due to a sprained right ankle. Boston (5-4) squandered a fourth-quarter lead and its three-game winning streak ended with a 102-97 loss at Brooklyn.

Former Raptors guard Leandro Barbosa started in Rondo's place and scored 17 points, but he had only two of the Celtics' season-low 17 assists. Coach Doc Rivers didn't seem certain about Rondo's availability for Saturday.

"If he's ready to play whenever we play again, he'll play," Rivers told the NBA's official website. "If he's not, he won't. We'll just keep moving."

Boston, which went 9-5 including one playoff game when Rondo was out last season, may not need him to defeat Toronto.

Although the Celtics lost the last two meetings - both in Toronto with Rondo in the lineup - they were missing their point guard the last time the Raptors visited Boston on Feb. 1. The Celtics won that game 100-64, their third straight home victory in this series by at least 20 points.

The Raptors (2-6) continue to play without point guard Kyle Lowry, who averaged 23.7 points in the first three games of the season before suffering a bruised bone in his right foot in the fourth contest.

After losing four straight overall, the Raptors picked up their first road win of 2012-13 with a 74-72 victory at Indiana on Tuesday. Replacement point guard Jose Calderon, averaging 12.7 assists in his last three games, posted his first career triple-double with 13 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds.

To say Toronto relied on its defense - holding the Pacers to 32.0 percent shooting - may be a bit of an understatement considering the Raptors scored five points in the final 12 minutes, the fewest in any fourth quarter in franchise history.

"We were exhausted," guard DeMar DeRozan said one night after a triple-overtime loss to Utah. "But it's about gutting it out. We had to rely on something, and it wasn't our offense tonight. It was all mental and heart."

Toronto's defense has been a problem in recent visits to Boston, with the team allowing an average of 107.0 points on 52.1 percent shooting during its eight-game skid there.

Paul Pierce was 8 of 12 from the field Thursday against the Nets, scoring 22 points, but he was upset with himself for missing a pair of free throws in the final minute.

"I take a lot of blame for down the stretch," Pierce said. "I'm the guy they call upon to make the plays and I didn't make the plays tonight. It's a long season, but that's not the main reason we lost. You can point to a number of little things we talk about all season long."

Rondo has 20 assists, Celtics beat Raptors 107-89

Posted Nov 17 2012 5:10PM

BOSTON (AP) Rajon Rondo made up for lost time in a big way for the Boston Celtics after missing a game because of a sprained right ankle.

Rondo had 20 assists for the second time this season and added six points to help the Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 107-89 on Saturday.

Jason Terry scored 20 points, Paul Pierce added 19 points and six rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter, and Kevin Garnett scored 15 points in 17 minutes of playing time.

The Celtics held big leads early and late, but had to survive several surges in between while winning for the fourth time in five games. And any worries Boston fans might have had about Rondo's ankle were quickly washed away when he had seven assists in the first quarter.

"We have an offense and then he creates another offense at times," Boston coach Doc Rivers said.

Rondo appeared at full strength after sitting out a loss at Brooklyn on Thursday night. He had 11 assists at halftime, extending his streak of consecutive games with double-digit assists to 33.

"Something I look forward to every game is just trying to make my teammates happy. And somehow I keep getting to 10," Rondo said. "Tonight it was a collective team effort as far as assists."

The Celtics had assists on 37 of 43 field goals, with Rondo leading the way and finishing just four shy of his career high.

Rondo, who played only 1:26 in the fourth quarter, is within four games of tying John Stockton for the second-longest streak in NBA history for consecutive games with 10 or more assists. Magic Johnson holds the record at 46.

"I'm making some OK passes - just taking what the defense gives me," Rondo said. "It means my teammates are making shots."

Garnett was 6 for 7 from the field, and Terry 7 of 10, including four 3-pointers in his highest- scoring game as a member of the Celtics. Rookie Jared Sullinger had his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Andrea Bargnani and John Lucas led Toronto with 15 points apiece. DeMar DeRozan, Jose Calderon, Terrence Ross and Linas Kleiza added 10 each for Toronto.

Boston shot 56.6 percent against the struggling Raptors, who are off to a 2-7 start, and all 10 Celtics who played had at least two field goals.

"We can't afford to play such bad defense - especially against this type of team," Bargnani said. "One day we play good defense and then there are games like today where we play very bad defense, so I can't say it's getting better. We have to focus more and give a better effort."

The Celtics scored 11 straight over the end of the third quarter and first few minutes of the fourth to go up by 21 points.

Chris Wilcox dunked an alley-oop on Rondo's 19th assist, then Terry made another 3-pointer to put Boston up 79-64 entering the fourth.

Rondo left the game shortly after reaching 20 assists early in the fourth. He also had 20 assists against Philadelphia on Nov. 9.

After trailing by as much as 17 in the first quarter, Toronto regrouped in the second and chipped into the lead with a 13-4 run. Lucas' 3-pointer with 2:35 left pulled the Raptors to 42-39, but Pierce had a three-point play and the Celtics led 47-42 at halftime.

Boston was still out of sync early in the third and a few fans started booing when DeRozan's layup pulled Toronto to 55-53 with 6:38 left in the quarter.

Bargnani got Toronto close again with a pair of free throws, 63-61, with 3:30 left in the third. But Terry hit two 3-pointers as Boston went on an 11-1 run.

Notes: Toronto was coming off a win at Indiana on Tuesday night and has yet to win back-to-back games this season. ... Boston was playing for the third time in four days and has a game at Detroit on Sunday night. ... Sullinger's previous highs in his brief career were six points and seven rebounds. ... Calderon had nine of Toronto's 22 assists. ... Boston tied its season high for points, matching its total in a 120-107 loss to Miami in the opener.

Notebook: Celtics 107, Raptors 89

Brendan Jackson, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Nov 17, 2012 4:34 PM - Updated Sat Nov 17, 2012 4:34 PM

THE FACTS: The Boston Celtics blew out the Toronto Raptors 107-89 behind impressive performances from the Celtics starting backcourt. Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo dished out 20 assists and shooting guard Jason Terry provided much of the scoring as he finished with a game-high 20 points. The Raptors, now 2-7 to start the season, really needed more out of their starting front court as Andrea Bargnani, Dominic McGuire, and Jonas Valanciunas combined for 20 points and 8 rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "You know, [Rondo's] a tough one. I sit with a lot of coaches and we brainstorm how to guard him and I love hearing them because I know the wrong ones." -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers

THE STAT: The Celtics won by 18 points despite only scoring 1 fast-break point for the entire contest.

TURNING POINT: The Celtics went on a 22-3 run that spanned the last three minutes of the third quarter and the first three minutes of the fourth. This effectively put the Raptors away as they were never able to close the gap to within striking distance.

QUOTABLE II: "There's been a couple [like Rondo]. Jason Kidd in his heyday, Magic [Johnson] all the time, [John] Stockton. But think about it: I've named four or five guys. The league has been around a long time. So it's not a lot, and he's one of them. He's a rare bird. I mean, he really is." -- Doc Rivers

HOT: Jason Terry. The Celtics' biggest offseason acquisition scored a game-high 20 points on 7-10 shooting, 4-7 from behind the arc. Terry's long range shooting was key to the Celtics 22-3 run.

NOT: Jonas Valanciunas. The Raptors rookie fouled out of the game after only scoring 3 points and securing 2 rebounds in 19 minutes.

ROOKIE WATCH: Jared Sullinger. The Celtics power forward rebounded after a brief and forgettable appearance in the Celtics' loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday to post his first career double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds).

NOTABLE: After today's contest, Rondo's streak of 10 or more assists in a game has reached 33. John Lucas III had a nice game off the bench for the Raptors, scoring 15 points, and should remain the primary backup to Jose Calderon with Kyle Lowry still out with a foot injury. Lowry is still projected to be sidelined for the next two weeks. The Raptors have lost five of their last six games. The Celtics have won four of five.

UP NEXT: For the Raptors, Sunday vs. Orlando, Tuesday @ Philadelphia, Wednesday @ Charlotte. For the Celtics, Sunday @ Detroit, Wednesday vs. San Antonio, Friday vs. Oklahoma City.

• Raptors: Anderson, Fields, Lowry
• Celtics: Joseph, Melo

• Raptors: --
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #23 Jason Phillips, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #50 Olandis Poole
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:13