Celtics hold off Raptors

Delonte West added 18 points and Rajon Rondo had 16 points and eight assists for Boston, which snapped a three-game skid.

T.J. Ford scored 28 points and dished out nine assists before fouling out for the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors, who had won two straight and six of eight games coming in. Anthony Parker had 16 points and Chris Bosh finished with 15 points, but shot just 5-of-19 from the field. He also pulled down 11 boards.

Jorge Garbajosa had five points and five rebounds for the Raptors before leaving the game on a stretcher with 4:31 left in the fourth quarter. He injured his left ankle while attempting to block a Jefferson dunk.

Trailing 78-66, Toronto went on a 8-2 run, capped by a Bosh layup to pull within six, 80-74 with 2:59 to go.

Moments later a Ford three cut the margin to five, 90-85 with 26 seconds left. The Celtics, however, answered with two Rondo free throws, and after a missed three by Darrick Martin, West hit two more free throws to put the margin at eight, 93-85 with just 15 ticks remaining.

Toronto jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but Boston responded with a 7-0 run, capped by a West three, and the Celtics held a 22-19 edge after one quarter.

Toronto managed to tie it at 34-34 with two Parker free throws. Pierce then drilled a three on the ensuing possession, and after Rasho Nesterovic hit a hook shot, Pierce fired in another three to push the lead to 40-36. The Celtics led 42-38 at the intermission.

The Celtics opened the third quarter with a 13-4 run, capped by a Jefferson hook shot, putting Boston ahead, 55-42, with a little over 5 1/2 minutes to go in the frame. Boston led 65-56 heading into the final quarter.

Game Notes

Boston outrebounded Toronto 45-35...Boston went 24-of-27 from the charity stripe...Boston shot 43 percent while Toronto shot 40.3 percent from the field...Boston center Michael Olowokandi will miss the rest of the season with a broken bone in his left foot...Boston is now a league-worst 10-25 at home.