The Boston Celtics (42 - 30) defeated their divisional rival Toronto Raptors (48 - 22) 91 - 79 on Wednesday at TD Garden. The Celtics have now won three straight contests after snapping a four - game slump in the early part of the month. After falling from the third spot in the East, Boston finds itself clammoring to maintain homecourt advantage for the first round of the playoffs. A win over one of the powerhouse teams in the conference on Wednesday should instill confidence, however, as the Celtics managed to control the game in the second half. All-Star and leading Boston scorer Isaiah Thomas once again topped the box score in points for the Celtics, scoring 23 on the night. However, the true difference maker for the Celtics was former Raptor Amir Johnson, who delivered 11 points on 5 - for - 6 shooting while pulling down 14 rebounds and dishing out five assists. Toronto, meanwhile, is looking to take hold of the top spot in the Eastern Conference down the stretch. The Raptors remain within striking difference of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the conference's first seed. However, Wednesday's 35 percent shooting performance did them no favors, as Boston was able to handily walk away with the victory. Rest for All-Star Kyle Lowry hurt the team's play, as only star guard DeMar DeRozan scored more than 13 on the night. Shoddy 11 - for - 20 shooting at the free - throw line put the nail in the coffin for the underhanded team. Both teams will head West for their next matchup, with Toronto visiting Houston on Friday and Boston taking on Phoenix the next day.
["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 30 Percentage of field goals ,has 91 Losses ,has 23 Total points ,has 42 Points in 3rd quarter ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 35 Percentage of field goals ,has 22 Losses ,has 79 Total points ,has 48 Points in 3rd quarter ."]