Boston could not get the job done in the closing stages of Thursday night's game against Brooklyn, but it will try to get back on track when it hosts Toronto for the first time Saturday afternoon at TD Garden in Boston, MA.
The Celtics and Raptors have not met this year in the regular season. Boston is off to a 5-4 start after dropping its first two games while Toronto has picked up just two wins in eight attempts.
Brooklyn came away with a 102-97 win against Boston in its last contest after the game was tied at 87 with 3:23 to play. The Celtics had opportunities to get back in the game, but four missed free throws in the final minute doomed them. Paul Pierce led all Celtics with 22 points and Leandro Barbosa scored 17 in place of the injured Rajon Rondo, who did not play due to a right ankle sprain.
Toronto stole a 74-72 win against the Indiana Pacers after a fourth-quarter meltdown that saw the Raptors score just five points in the final 12 minutes. DeMar Derozan scored a team-high 15 points and Jose Calderon added 13 points and 10 assists for Toronto, which shot 36.1 percent from the floor.
Saturday's game tips off at 12:30 p.m. ET and will air on CSNNE/WEEI.
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