NBA Game Summary - Toronto at Boston

02.28.2004

Boston, MA (Basketball News) - Paul Pierce finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead Boston to an 88-75 win over Toronto in the first of a home-and-home series at the FleetCenter.

Mark Blount contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who snapped a season-high seven game winning streak, won for the just the second time in 15 games and gave interim head coach John Carroll his first home victory. Brandon Hunter finished with 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.

"It’s just great to get a win," Carroll said. "We played a great first half and did a lot of good things."

Donyell Marshall posted 19 points and 13 assists for the Raptors, who extended their season-high losing streak to eight games.

A basket by Hunter with 7:41 left in the first quarter put the Celtics ahead 15-7.

Jannero Pargo’s basket cut the Toronto deficit to 17-13 less than two minutes later.

However, Boston mounted a 13-5 run. Chris Mihm’s dunk with 1:12 to go in the first put it ahead 30-18.

The Celtics, who led 30-20 at the end of the first, scored the initial four points of the second quarter. A driving layup by Jiri Welsch staked them to a 34-20 edge 2:39 into the second.

After the Raptors — who missed 9-of-10 shots from the field during a stretch in the first half — pulled within 34-25 on a layup by Marshall, Boston went on a 19-5 surge.

Blount’s slam dunk with 3:25 to play in the quarter, opened a 53-30 lead for the Celtics.

Toronto got within 57-37 at halftime.

Pierce led all scorers with 13 points in the initial 24 minutes, making 9- of-10 free throws from the foul line.

To start the third quarter, Blount converted consecutive baskets and Boston scored six straight points to go ahead 63-37.

The Raptors used a 23-10 flurry to get within 73-60 at the end of the third. Jerome Moiso capped it on two free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Boston opened the fourth quarter on a 7-1 surge to take a commanding 80-61 lead. A layup by Hunter 1:59 into the fourth capped the burst.

Toronto got no closer than the final margin.

"It’s difficult to fight back from double-digit leads," Raptors head coach Kevin O’Neill said. "Right now there’s not much we can do about it."

Welsch registered 11 points for the Celtics, who snapped a five-game home losing streak...Michael Curry and Lamond Murray each scored 10 points for the Raptors, who suffered their fourth straight on the road and fell to 12-18 on the road this season...Boston, which held a 54-32 rebounding edge, allowed less than 100 points for the first time in seven games...Referees Monty McCutchen, Tom Washington and Ed Malloy all wore their jerseys inside out with number 62 on their backs to protest the three-game suspension handed down to Michael Henderson on Friday. During a 112-111 win by the Los Angeles Lakers over Denver on Wednesday, Henderson mistakenly blew the whistle signaling a shot-clock violation against the Nuggets with 27.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

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