Pierce Scores 30 As Celtics Beat Raptors 93-79
TORONTO (AP) -- Paul Pierce scored 30 points, Ray Allen had 23 and the Boston Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 93-79 on Sunday night.
Glenn Davis added 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as Boston won for the 10th time in 11 meetings with Toronto.
Pierce was disappointed with himself after scoring just 12 points and making a season-high six turnovers in Friday's 83-81 loss to New Orleans. He made up for that by hitting 10 of 15 shots, seven of eight free throws and grabbing seven rebounds to help Boston snap a two-game losing streak.
DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points, Joey Dorsey had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Amir Johnson had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost 11 of their past 14.
Toronto trailed by nine points to start the fourth but cut it 80-75 on a reverse layup by DeRozan and a jumper from Jose Calderon with 5:05 left. The Raptors missed a chance to draw even closer when Dorsey missed two free throws.
Pierce made the Raptors pay by answering with a driving dunk, Allen made a 3-pointer and followed with a jumper in the lane as Boston pushed its lead to 87-75, its biggest of the game at that point.
Boston point guard Rajon Rondo returned to the starting lineup after missing seven games because of a sprained left ankle. He had four points and eight assists in 34 minutes.
Rondo, who came in averaging an NBA-best 13.2 assists, had to be helped off the court in the fourth quarter of a victory over the New York Knicks on Dec. 15, and had not played since.
Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, who injured his right calf in Wednesday's loss to Detroit, missed his second straight game.
The short-handed Raptors were without center and leading scorer Andrea Bargnani, who missed his fourth straight game with a sore left calf. Guard Jerryd Bayless, who left Friday's loss at Houston with a sprained left ankle, did not play, and guard Sonny Weems missed his seventh straight game because of back spasms.
DeRozan, who scored a career-high 37 points Friday, had 10 in the opening quarter but Pierce scored 8 as Boston led by one, 24-23, after 12 minutes.
Pierce added 12 more in the second as the Celtics maintained their narrow advantage, taking a 43-42 lead into the half.
DeRozan scored 10 points in the third, including a huge alley-oop from Jose Calderon, but Glenn Davis had nine as the Celtics took a 71-62 lead into the final quarter.
NOTES: Rondo missed three games earlier this season because of a strained left hamstring, sitting out Boston's 102-101 loss at Toronto on Nov. 21. ... Bargnani has missed six of the past eight games with knee, ankle and calf injuries. ... Calderon had 10 assists for the Raptors. ... Toronto outrebounded Boston 49-37.
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