The Raps give them a scare in the fourth quarter, but the C's hold on and finish a 110-101 win, their third consecutive victory. They remain atop the Eastern Conference at 12-4.
Kevin Garnett leads the charge for Boston with 26 points and 11 rebounds; Paul Pierce adds 18 and three other Celtics finish in double figures. Rajon Rondo piles up 14 assists in his first game back from a strained hamstring.
Linas Kleiza drops 18 for the Raptors in a losing effort.
The Celtics have three days off before heading to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers for the second time this season.
Fourth quarter, 1:07, Celtics 107-97: Rajon Rondo has had a quiet night offensively, but he comes through here with a big bucket to bring the Celtics' lead back to 10. That should about do it.
Only four points for Rondo, but 14 assists ain't too shabby.
Fourth quarter, 2:53, Celtics 105-95: That was a mistake. The Raptors just left Paul Pierce wide open for a corner 3. He made them pay.
It looks like the Raps can't get enough stops to come back and steal this one. Shocking, isn't it?
Fourth quarter, 4:17, Celtics 102-93: Kevin Garnett just put back a Paul Pierce miss to put the Celtics back up by nine. He's now got 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way for the C's.
He also just got a delay of game warning, oddly enough, for throwing the ball in the air in celebration after he scored.
Fourth quarter, 5:12, Celtics 99-93: Doc probably didn't want to use his starters at all in this fourth quarter, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The C's lead has shrunk to six.
Garnett, Rondo, Pierce and Allen are all back on the floor. Shaquille O'Neal is on the near side of the bench with the warmups off, ready to go if Doc calls his number.
He might be needed.
Fourth quarter, 6:22, Celtics 97-89: Peja Stojakovic is just drilling those 3's. He's now 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, as he's repeatedly brought the Raptors back from the brink of death.
Leandro Barbosa has just joined the 3-point shooting party, too.
When a team shoots this well, you can never count them out. The Raps are back to within eight.
Fourth quarter, 8:53, Celtics 90-79: At some point in this second half, Jay Triano must have called his players together and told them to shoot more 3s. They've listened.
Peja Stojakovic, Linas Kleiza and now Jose Calderon have all drained them. The Raptors' hot shooting has kept them alive in this game, and it might force Doc Rivers to send Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce back in to polish this one off.
The C's know after Sunday that they can't take anything for granted against this Raptor team.
Fourth quarter, 10:00, Celtics 88-74: The Raptors have opened the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run, capped off by a deadly corner 3 from Linas Kleiza.
Kleiza has a "wait, where did that come from?" 12 points, and the Celtics have a little bit of a situation on their hands. Their lead has quickly shrunk to 14.
The Celtics' starters haven't put their warmups back on yet. That's probably for the best.
End of third quarter, Celtics 86-67: The Celtics get six points from Glen Davis late in the third quarter, keeping them comfortably in front with 12 minutes to play.
Doc Rivers can pull his starters any minute now. There will be no suspense this time — the C's have this one pretty much in the bag. The starting five has earned some rest.
Third quarter, 2:00, Celtics 82-61: Peja Stojakovic has made his entrance for the Raptors, and it didn't take long for him to make his presence known. He's already made one from beyond the arc, and there could easily be more to come.
The Raps need a deep threat if they want to erase this 20-point deficit. Peja's their guy.
It's strange he hasn't made an appearance until now.
Third quarter, 4:20, Celtics 74-58: Shaquille O'Neal just humiliated Linas Kleiza, stuffing an attempted layup right down his throat. That's the second block of the game for Shaq.
Glen Davis is at the scorer's table getting ready to check in. Shaq has had a great third quarter — it's a shame it has to end.
Third quarter, 5:48, Celtics 70-58: You know what's scary? Rajon Rondo has gone half the third quarter without a single assist. He's still got 11.
The Celtics are surviving on a steady diet of transition points stemming from Raptor turnovers. But that's not the most sustainable way to run an offense. The C's need their ball movement back.
This has been a sloppy third quarter on both sides. But as long as the C's maintain a decent lead, they're not complaining.
Third quarter, 8:20, Celtics 69-56: The Celtics have figured something out — the Raptors can't hide Reggie Evans against them. Evans may be a solid energy guy, but he's short as a tree stump, and he's got to guard either Shaq or KG in this matchup. Whoever he guards, the C's exploit it right away.
Andrea Bargnani is long enough that he can defend pretty much any four or five (although not spectacularly well). Evans is a mismatch though.
The C's have a solid double-digit lead again. If they play with energy throughout the second half, they should sustain it.
Third quarter, 10:40, Celtics 63-54: Kevin Garnett isn't done yet. He's still dominating offensively, with 18 points now on 7-of-13 shooting.
The Celtics are just getting tons of good looks inside. The Raptors' defense has been porous, and the C's have been smart to take advantage of that.
Halftime, Celtics 58-52: A few hours ago, it didn't look like Rajon Rondo would even be playing in this game. Now he's dominating, with 11 assists to lead the Celtics to a six-point halftime lead over the Toronto Raptors.
His two favorite targets have been in the low post — Kevin Garnett has 16 points at the break, and Shaquille O'Neal has 13. The C's are piling up points in the paint, and it's enabled them to withstand a late Toronto charge and stay ahead.
Andrea Bargnani has 10 points to lead the Raptors. Jose Calderon is filling up the stat sheet to the tune of seven points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Second quarter, 3:13, Celtics 49-43: Shaquille O'Neal has piled up eight points so far in the first half — four from the field, and four from the free-throw line.
Shaq's been getting to the line a lot these last couple of weeks. There are just so many centers in this league that can't adequately guard him, so they just hack him and pray he misses his free throws. That hasn't worked so well.
Second quarter, 4:32, Celtics 46-41: KG has found a way to shut Amir Johnson up — outrun him to the basket and throw down alley-oops from Rondo. That's worked twice in a row now.
The C's lead is back up to five. KG has 12 points, and Rondo has 10 assists already.
Second quarter, 5:51, Celtics 40-37: Kevin Garnett looks rattled. He and Amir Johnson are going at it nonstop, elbowing and shoving for position, and KG is getting outplayed. Johnson is contesting his shots well and not giving him anything easy.
The C's have had a lackluster second quarter, and they don't look too happy about it. They've all got to regain their composure, and that starts with KG.
Second quarter, 8:03, Celtics 40-30: Rajon Rondo and Shaquille O'Neal each check back in at the 8:03 mark. Both should have their legs under them now — they've been resting for a while.
It'll be interesting to see whether Doc Rivers lets Shaq play for the rest of the half. He's been monitoring the big fella's "minutes in a row" count, and eight might be a stretch for him at this point. But if the Diesel emerges as a dominant force down low in this quarter, it might be hard for Doc to pull him out.
Second quarter, 9:39, Celtics 36-24: The Celtics are letting their second unit run for a while, and Rajon Rondo is no doubt thankful for the rest. The C's have a double-digit lead, so they can afford to play it safe with the starters' minutes.
If you were hoping to see Rajon Rondo break the single-game assist record, you might have to wait. He can't put up 30-plus unless he gets the minutes.
End of first quarter, Celtics 31-20: The Toronto Raptors aren't big on defense. Yeah, I know, that's like saying Wilt Chamberlain wasn't big on abstinence.
The Raps are looking absolutely dreadful on the defensive end in this one — even worse than usual. The C's are taking advantage, shooting 66.7 percent from the field. And that's not just fluky shooting — that's really easy looks. Wide-open jumpers, alley-oops, layups with no one in sight.
It's a wonder the Celtics didn't exploit the Raps' horrendous defense sooner. Sunday night is looking more inexplicable by the minute.
First quarter, 2:51, Celtics 28-16: Apparently a week without playing basketball has made Rajon Rondo antsy. He's making up for lost time — he's got eight assists in just over nine minutes for the Celtics. At this pace, he'll finish with about 40.
The alley-oops, the corner 3s, the handoffs under the basket — every way there is to get a teammate a bucket, Rondo has tried it tonight.
The C's have a healthy lead early, and as long as Rondo keeps playing like this, it's not going away.
First quarter, 5:36, Celtics 22-9: Shaquille has had a lot of highlight-reel dunks throughout his time in Celtic green. That might have been his best yet.
Shaq finishes a ridiculous alley-oop by curling around behind Kevin Garnett and cutting to the basket. Incredible vision by Rondo to see the opening for the lob, and just an insane finish from Shaq, rattling the backboard for a solid five seconds.
The C's have a 13-point lead and plenty of theatrics to boot.
First quarter, 7:42, Celtics 19-5: Ray Allen has taken three shots so far — all corner 3s, all drained with ease. The Celtics are rolling.
As a team, the C's made their first six shot attempts. They're now 7-of-8 from the field. When they're getting perfect looks every time, there's not much the Raptors — or anyone else — can do.
This game is turning out a bit better for the Celtics than last Sunday.
First quarter, 8:51, Celtics 14-3: So far, this first quarter is looking an awful lot like the first quarter in Atlanta on Monday night. The C's have come out motivated, and they're killing it.
Ray Allen just knocked down his second 3 of the ballgame, giving the C's an early double-digit lead.
Kevin Garnett already has six points.
The C's are moving the ball beautifully, getting open looks and draining them. You can't say the same about the Raptors.
First quarter, 10:59, Celtics 4-0: The C's draw first blood on a bucket inside from Kevin Garnett. Then they draw second blood — also on a bucket inside from Kevin Garnett.
The C's have a mismatch to exploit here. KG is bigger, longer and flat-out better than Reggie Evans at the power forward position, and he's showing it off early. Boston has an early lead.
7:35 p.m.: We're just about to get started this fine Friday evening at the Garden, and Rajon Rondo is just about to play for the first time in a week.
Rondo has been announced as the Celtics' starter at point guard against the Raptors. After starting for the last three games (in which the C's went 2-1), Nate Robinson returns to the bench.
Tipoff next.
7 p.m.: Welcome to the TD Garden, where Rajon Rondo is still a game-time decision.
Doc Rivers has said his point guard will "most likely" play, as he's been medically cleared and he's passed every test.
Still no definitive word, though. Stay tuned.
4:30 p.m.: For the fourth game in a row, Rajon Rondo will be a game-time decision.
Don't expect the C's to rush him back. We'll have more details later from the Garden, but here's an early estimate — don't be a bit surprised if Nate Robinson gets another start against the Raptors.
The C's will have plenty of time to rest after this one. They don't play again until Tuesday night in Cleveland.
9 a.m.: In the wake of losing backup guard Delonte West on Wednesday night to a broken wrist, Celtics coach Doc Rivers was asked if he now felt more inclined to bring back his starter, Rajon Rondo.
"No, no," the coach responded. "I'm probably less likely, the way things are going. I'm serious."
The Celtics are in no mood to push their luck. They're without one bench guard in West, and another, Avery Bradley, is just beginning to make his return from offseason ankle surgery. The C's are hard-pressed for impact players at the guard positions, but they've been scared straight. They're going to play it safe with Rondo, their All-Star starting point guard.
The Celtics will be back in action Friday night, taking on the Toronto Raptors for the second time this season. But don't be surprised if Rondo joins teammates West, Jermaine O'Neal and Kendrick Perkins on the C's bench in street clothes. This team has the big picture in mind.
