Andrea Bargnani led all scorers with 29 points as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Boston Celtics 102-101 in an exciting finish north of the border.
The Boston Celtics nearly had this game in books as they were leading the Toronto Raptors 101-100 with 12.9 seconds left in the game. However on an inbound pass, Raptors guard Leandro Barbosa stole the pass from Ray Allen which gave the Raptors the ball.
Paul Pierce committed a bad foul with under three seconds left which put the Raptors' Amir Johnson at the free-throw line. Johnson hit both free throws which allowed the Raptors to re-gain the lead with 2.9 seconds left. Paul Pierce's 16-foot jumper fell just short as the Raptors won with a final score of 102-101, shocking the Celtics.
Amir Johnson added 17 points for the Raptors including the two game-winning free throws with just a few seconds left on the clock. Jose Calderon also added 11 points and Reggie Evans grabbed 16 rebounds, leading all players on the floor.
For the Celtics, it was a strong showing for Paul Pierce as he scored 19 points with five rebounds. Pierce had a shot to win the game for the Celtics as his game winning two-pointer bounced off the rim.
The Celtics were forced to start point guard Nate Robinson as Rajon Rondo sat out today so he could rest his hamstring injury he sustained Friday night against the Thunder. Robinson had a strong showing as he led all Celtics with 22 points. However, Rondo's ability to pass the ball and defend were obviously missed.
Kevin Garnett was able to add 12 points with a team high 8 rebounds, nearly missing another double-double. Ray Allen chipped in 19 points along with Pierce, and was 2 of 5 from beyond the three-point arc. Shaquille O'Neal contributed 8 points, but only recorded 5 rebounds and later fouled out in the forth quarter.
Glen Davis had a strong showing off the bench as he was able to score 12 points and grab four rebounds. Davis hit two free throws just under 30 seconds, which would have given the Celtics the win, if Barbosa hadn't stolen the inbound pass that ultimatly gave Toronto the "W".
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