Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry lead Toronto Raptors to big road win over Boston Celtics

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Gilbert McGregor
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For the second time in four days, the Toronto Raptors took on the Boston Celtics.

This time the teamst took the floor at Boston's TD Garden, a place where the Raptors have had limited success in recent years.

Saturday night was a different story.

Behind big nights from Kyle Lowry (30 points, seven assists), Serge Ibaka (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Patrick McCaw (18 points, eight assists, seven rebounds), the Raptors earned a huge 113-97 win over the Celtics to avenge a Christmas Day loss and snap a two-game losing streak.

It's just the second home loss of the season for the Celtics, who saw their five-game win streak snapped on Saturday. Kemba Walker led the way with 30 points of his own but Jaylen Brown (17 points, 5-12 FG), Gordon Hayward (13 points, 3-13 FG) and Jayson Tatum (12 points, 3-7 FG) combined to score just 42 points on 11-for-32 (34.4%) shooting.

If you missed any of the action, check below for live score updates, news and highlights from throughout this one

Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics: Live score updates, news and highlights

PREVIEW | BOX SCORE | PLAY-BY-PLAY

Final: Toronto Raptors 113, Boston Celtics 97

9:18 p.m. – Final in Boston.

Toronto snaps a two-game losing streak overall to get its first win in Boston in over three years.

A big win for the Raptors, who had lost the first two against the Celtics this season.

9:08 p.m. –  Another Kyle Lowry triple gives him 28 points on the night and puts the Raptors up 16.

It's 106-90 with 4:53 left.

Timeout Celtics as they'll look to stage one last run to get back within reach.

9:05 p.m. –  Toronto is the first team to reach the century mark, courtesy of a Kyle Lowry triple. 

The Raptors lead 101-86 with 6:40 remaining in the game.

8:55 p.m. –  The Raptors' lead is up to 13 after a layup from Oshae Brissett.

Brissett has four points and four boards in five minutes and it's now 93-80 with 9:34 left in regulation.

Timeout Celtics.

They'll look to stage yet another run out of the break.

End of Third Quarter: Toronto Raptors 89, Boston Celtics 79

8:50 p.m. –  It's a game of runs.

Toronto and Boston are going back-and-forth and responding to each run.

The Raptors close out the third quarter strong and take a 10-point lead into the final frame.

Kyle Lowry leads Toronto with 19 points while Kemba Walker leads all scorers with 24 points on the night.

The Raptors, who have yet to trail in this one, are outrebounding the Celtics 38-21, led by eight boards from Serge Ibaka.

8:36 p.m. –  Just like that, the Celtics respond with a 9-0 run of their own, capped off by a Daniel Theis alley-oop finish.

Timeout Raptors, who now lead 70-67.

8:30 p.m. –  Boom.

Serge Ibaka knocks down a triple to put the Raptors back up by 12.

Timeout Celtics as they trail 70-58.

Ibaka's got 16 points on the night while Kyle Lowry is up to a game-high 17 points.

8:24 p.m. –  We're back in action.

OG Anunoby gets things going in the second half with a triple to put Toronto up eight.

Halftime: Toronto Raptors 59, Boston Celtics 54

8:09 p.m. –  Again, the Celtics beat the buzzer with a triple. This time it's Kemba Walker that cuts the deficit to five.

Walker finishes the first half with 14 points, a figure matched by Toronto's Kyle Lowry.

The All-Star point guards continue to battle.

The Raptors have also enjoyed the play of Patrick McCaw (12 points, six assists) and Serge Ibaka (11 points, seven rebounds).

It's been slightly more balanced for the Celtics, who have seen Enes Kanter (nine points), Gordon Hayward (eight points), Jaylen Brown (seven points), Jayson Tatum (six points) and Marcus Smart (six points) all make their mark on the offensive end.

7:54 p.m. –  Toronto responds with a 9-0 scoring run.

And like that, the Raptors are back up 49-37. Brad Stevens calls for time to stop the bleeding.

5:13 remains in the first half.

Toronto is dominating on the boards with 22 rebounds to Boston's nine. That's been a major difference-maker so far.

7:51 p.m. –  Handoff. Screen. Roll. Finish. 

Textbook indeed.

7:48 p.m. –  Boston is now on a 15-4 extended run, cutting the deficit down to two points.

Toronto leads 40-37 with 7:06 left in the half.

Enes Kanter is up to nine points to lead the Celtics. Patrick McCaw (10 points) has joined Kyle Lowry (11 points) as the second Raptor in double figures.

End of First Quarter: Toronto Raptors 36, Boston Celtics 25

7:37 p.m. –  Marcus Smart drills a triple at the buzzer but the Raptors will take a double-digit lead into the second frame.

Led by 11 points from Kyle Lowry, the Raptors offence has been flowing smoothly.

Toronto is 15-for-21 (71.4%) from the field. Serge Ibaka has nine points and six rebounds and Patrick McCaw has added eight points to go along with four assists.

Boston is 10-for-21 (47.6%) from the field and is led by Jaylen Brown, Enes Kanter and Kemba Walker, who have each scored five points.

7:30 p.m. –  The challenge is successful!

Lowry exits for a breather but avoids serious foul trouble as he just has one so far on the night.

7:27 p.m. –  As Kyle Lowry is potentially whistled for his second foul, Nick Nurse will challenge the ruling.

Timeout on the floor as they review the play.

Toronto leads Boston 24-17 with 3:57 remaining in the first.

Lowry is up to nine points while Patrick McCaw has added six.

An eye-popping stat early on? The Celtics are 2-for-8 from the free throw line.

7:19 p.m. –  A loose ball foul on Kyle Lowry leads to our first break in the action.

The Raptors lead the Celtics 16-13 with 6:09 left in the first.

Kyle Lowry is 3-for-3 from the field and has a game-high eight points early on while Kemba Walker leads the Celtics with five points.

The All-Star point guards have come to play.

7:11 p.m. –  Serge Ibaka gets the Raptors on the board first with a push shot in the lane.

Things are now underway in Boston.

Pregame

6:15 p.m. –  The Raptors, who are still shorthanded, will go with a starting unit of Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Patrick McCaw, OG Anunoby and Serge Ibaka.

6:00 p.m. –  After missing the last eight games, Celtics guard Marcus Smart will be back in action.

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Gilbert McGregor Photo
Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.