The Celtics scored the first 10 points of the game and never trailed in a 114-107 win at Toronto to cap a three-game road trip in fine fashion.
Rajon Rondo recorded the third triple-double of his career (sixth overall if you count playoffs) and Rasheed Wallace had a season-high 29 points for Boston, which improved its NBA-best road mark to 15-5 and ran its winning streak over Toronto to seven games.
The Raptors trimmed a 15-point second half deficit down to four with just under two minutes to play, but the Celts scored the next six points to put it away.
Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins each chipped in 16 points for Boston. Chris Bosh had 31 points and 13 rebounds to lead Toronto.
Celtics 114, Raptors 107
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ont.
Jan. 10, 2010
Headliner: He did it three times in the postseason last spring but it took Rondo 35 games to notch his first triple-double of the 2009-10 season. He wasted no time getting going. Rondo had assists on four baskets in the game's first 93 seconds as the Celtics raced to a 10-0 lead.
In 44 minutes of play, Rondo also had four steals and just three turnovers and broke down the Raptors' defense over and over with drives to the hoop that almost came too easy.
Honorable mention goes to Wallace, whose 29 points are a high for him as a Celtic. Wallace was 5-of-7 from 3-point range, making two straight midway through the third quarter to help fend off one of the Raptors' many second-half runs.
Unsung Hero: The line might be ugly for Glen Davis (1-for-5 from the floor, two points) but he made up for it with a series of hustle plays in the second half.
Just before his only hoop with 10:30 remaining, Davis drew an offensive foul. He then had three offensive rebounds and a steal in the next few minutes before leaving midway through the fourth.
Five of Davis' boards came on the offensive end.
Scrub: He had nine assists, but Hedo Turkoglu was not much of a scoring option for the Raptors. His first basket didn't come until the third quarter and he finished with just five points on 2-of-9 shooting.
Turkoglu also missed his only two free throws.
Turning Point: The C's led this one wire-to-wire but didn't get any separation until early in the second quarter when Eddie House hit a 3-pointer to kick off a 32-20 run across the second and third quarters.
Toronto never got within one possession after that shot by House.
Up Next: Boston immediately boards a flight home to get ready for a Monday night matchup with Atlanta, which just knocked off the C's on Friday down south. The Hawks are 2-0 this season against the Green.
