Brown scores 31 points, sets up Kornet's tiebreaking basket as Celtics beat Raptors 120-118
BOSTON (AP) Jaylen Brown returned from a one-game absence to score 31 points and fed Luke Kornet for the tiebreaking basket as the Boston Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 120-118 on Friday night.
After Scottie Barnes tied the game at 116 with a 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining, Boston found Kornet for a dunk with 32 seconds left. Boston’s lead stood at 119-117 when Barnes drove down the lane but couldn’t finish. Down three after replay determined that a foul occurred before the final horn, Toronto’s Pascal Siakam went to the line with 1.4 seconds left. He made the first but missed the second as the Celtics melted away the remaining time.
“The goal was to make the first and miss the second and go for the offensive rebound and try to win it right there,” Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said.
Brown, who missed Boston’s overtime win Thursday that sent the Detroit Pistons to a record-tying 28th straight loss because of a back injury, swished 3-pointers on three straight possessions in the first quarter. The All-Star guard shot 5 of 6 from beyond the arc and also grabbed 10 rebounds.
“I definitely feel that I’ve grown and improved, for sure, but (in terms of the game) slowing down for me? Maybe that’s not the right word. I want to play fast,” Brown said.
Brown took a knee to his back during Boston’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day. He downplayed the significance of the injury after Friday’s game, chalking it up to a contusion.
“As I got on the court and moved around, (the stiffness) went away,” Brown said. “I’m feeling all right.”
Derrick White finished with 21 points while Kornet added 20 for Boston, which committed 16 turnovers that led to 22 points for Toronto.
The Celtics, who were without starters Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis along with key reserve Al Horford, improved to 16-0 at home and own the league’s best record (25-6). Boston won its fifth straight and 10th game in 11 tries.
“It’s the NBA. Each night is different with different guys in the lineup,” White said. “The more ways we can find to win, the better it will make us in the long run.”
Kornet appeared in his first game since Dec. 4 and made his first start of the season.
“I said to the locker room before the game that it was another opportunity. I didn’t care who we were playing against. I have complete trust and confidence in the character of our locker room because of who they are. I think we can win any game no matter what,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Luke shows up every game and plays his role. It was awesome to watch him play at the level that he did.”
Boston led by 15 at halftime and was up by double figures entering the fourth quarter. When Dennis Schroder nailed a 3 from the right wing, Toronto had its first lead since the first quarter at 104-102 with 8:18 remaining.
Barnes led Toronto with 30 points on 7-of-15 from 3, while Siakam scored 28. Boston has won all three meetings this season against Toronto.
UP NEXT
Raptors: At Detroit on Saturday night for the finale of a three-game road trip.
Celtics: At San Antonio on Sunday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Jakob Poeltl vs. Luke Kornet (OG Anunoby gains possession) | ||
| 11:46 |  | Luke Kornet blocks Jakob Poeltl's two point cutting layup | ||
| 11:44 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 11:39 | | Jrue Holiday misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 11:37 | | Jakob Poeltl defensive rebound | ||
| 11:32 | | +2 | OG Anunoby makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Scottie Barnes assists) | 2-0 |
| 11:12 | | Derrick White misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:10 | | Scottie Barnes defensive rebound | ||
| 11:02 | | Jakob Poeltl misses two point hook shot | ||
| 11:00 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 10:52 | | +3 | Sam Hauser makes three point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 2-3 |
| 10:33 | | Scottie Barnes misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:31 | | Celtics defensive rebound | ||
| 10:20 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:18 | | Jakob Poeltl defensive rebound | ||
| 9:59 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 4-3 |
| 9:41 | | Derrick White misses two point driving layup | ||
| 9:39 | | Scottie Barnes defensive rebound | ||
| 9:34 | | +3 | Gary Trent Jr. makes three point running jump shot (Pascal Siakam assists) | 7-3 |
| 9:21 | | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point jump shot (Luke Kornet assists) | 7-6 |
| 9:07 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:06 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 8:58 | | Jaylen Brown offensive foul (Gary Trent Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 8:58 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 8:42 | | Pascal Siakam misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:38 | | Jakob Poeltl offensive rebound | ||
| 8:36 | | Scottie Barnes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:35 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 8:26 | | Luke Kornet misses two point alley-oop dunk | ||
| 8:24 | | Jakob Poeltl defensive rebound | ||
| 8:18 | | Scottie Barnes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:16 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 8:05 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 7-9 |
| 7:46 | | OG Anunoby turnover (lost ball) (Derrick White steals) | ||
| 7:39 | | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point driving layup (Jaylen Brown assists) | 7-11 |
| 7:39 | | Raptors 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:21 | | Scottie Barnes turnover (bad pass) (Derrick White steals) | ||
| 7:16 | | Scottie Barnes blocks Derrick White's two point running layup | ||
| 7:13 | | Gary Trent Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:08 | | Scottie Barnes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:06 | | Jakob Poeltl offensive rebound | ||
| 7:03 | | +2 | Jakob Poeltl makes two point putback layup | 9-11 |
| 6:51 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 6:37 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:35 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 6:26 | | Jrue Holiday misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:25 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 6:24 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point putback layup | 9-13 |
| 6:24 | | Jakob Poeltl shooting foul (Luke Kornet draws the foul) | ||
| 6:24 | | +1 | Luke Kornet makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 9-14 |
| 6:09 | | +2 | Dennis Schroder makes two point pullup jump shot | 11-14 |
| 5:57 | | Jakob Poeltl blocks Jaylen Brown's two point driving layup | ||
| 5:55 | | OG Anunoby defensive rebound | ||
| 5:52 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses two point running alley-oop layup | ||
| 5:50 | | Oshae Brissett defensive rebound | ||
| 5:37 | | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point jump shot (Oshae Brissett assists) | 11-17 |
| 5:22 | | OG Anunoby misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:20 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 5:08 | | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point jump shot (Luke Kornet assists) | 11-20 |
| 4:53 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:51 | | Oshae Brissett defensive rebound | ||
| 4:47 | | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point running jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 11-23 |
| 4:45 | | Raptors 60 second timeout | ||
| 4:28 | | Chris Boucher misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:27 | | Oshae Brissett defensive rebound | ||
| 4:16 | | Dalano Banton turnover (bad pass) (OG Anunoby steals) | ||
| 4:12 | | +2 | OG Anunoby makes two point running dunk | 13-23 |
| 3:53 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:51 | | Chris Boucher defensive rebound | ||
| 3:37 | | +2 | Dennis Schroder makes two point driving reverse layup (Otto Porter Jr. assists) | 15-23 |
| 3:31 | | +2 | Dalano Banton makes two point alley-oop dunk (Payton Pritchard assists) | 15-25 |
| 3:12 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point turnaround jump shot (Otto Porter Jr. assists) | 17-25 |
| 2:48 | | Oshae Brissett misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 2:46 | | Chris Boucher defensive rebound | ||
| 2:35 | | Pascal Siakam misses two point turnaround bank jump shot | ||
| 2:34 | | Raptors offensive rebound | ||
| 2:24 | | Derrick White personal foul (Pascal Siakam draws the foul) | ||
| 2:19 | | Dennis Schroder misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:17 | | Neemias Queta defensive rebound | ||
| 2:09 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving layup | 17-27 |
| 2:09 | | Chris Boucher shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 2:09 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 17-28 |
| 1:49 | | +3 | Chris Boucher makes three point jump shot (Dennis Schroder assists) | 20-28 |
| 1:30 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:28 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 1:18 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:17 | | Neemias Queta offensive rebound | ||
| 1:15 | | +2 | Neemias Queta makes two point putback layup | 20-30 |
| 0:49 | | Pascal Siakam misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:47 | | Payton Pritchard defensive rebound | ||
| 0:37 | | Scottie Barnes shooting foul (Derrick White draws the foul) | ||
| 0:37 | | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 20-31 |
| 0:37 | | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 20-32 |
| 0:16 | | Otto Porter Jr. misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:13 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 0:03 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 20-35 |
| 0:01 | | Derrick White blocks Scottie Barnes's three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Raptors offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:37 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point dunk (Svi Mykhailiuk assists) | 20-37 |
| 11:11 | | Chris Boucher misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:10 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 10:58 | | Scottie Barnes blocks Payton Pritchard's two point layup | ||
| 10:57 | | Payton Pritchard offensive rebound | ||
| 10:53 | | +3 | Sam Hauser makes three point jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 20-40 |
| 10:41 | | Jalen McDaniels misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:40 | | Payton Pritchard defensive rebound | ||
| 10:24 | | Derrick White misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:23 | | Chris Boucher defensive rebound | ||
| 10:14 | | Jalen McDaniels misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:12 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 10:07 | | Derrick White turnover (traveling) | ||
| 9:49 | | +3 | Scottie Barnes makes three point jump shot (Pascal Siakam assists) | 23-40 |
| 9:35 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point cutting dunk (Payton Pritchard assists) | 23-42 |
| 9:13 | | Luke Kornet blocks Scottie Barnes's two point driving layup | ||
| 9:11 | | Scottie Barnes offensive rebound | ||
| 9:11 | | +2 | Scottie Barnes makes two point tip layup | 25-42 |
| 8:50 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point cutting layup (Derrick White assists) | 25-44 |
| 8:45 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point driving layup | 27-44 |
| 8:45 | | Svi Mykhailiuk shooting foul (Pascal Siakam draws the foul) | ||
| 8:45 | | +1 | Pascal Siakam makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 28-44 |
| 8:30 | | +2 | Svi Mykhailiuk makes two point cutting layup (Derrick White assists) | 28-46 |
| 8:14 | | Precious Achiuwa misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 8:12 | | Svi Mykhailiuk defensive rebound | ||
| 8:03 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:00 | | Precious Achiuwa defensive rebound | ||
| 7:57 | | Scottie Barnes turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 7:43 | | Svi Mykhailiuk misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:41 | | Precious Achiuwa defensive rebound | ||
| 7:32 | | +3 | Scottie Barnes makes three point jump shot (Dennis Schroder assists) | 31-46 |
| 7:30 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:06 | | Jaylen Brown misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:05 | | Gary Trent Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 6:59 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 6:56 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 6:44 | | Jrue Holiday turnover (lost ball) (Pascal Siakam steals) | ||
| 6:43 | | Payton Pritchard personal foul (Pascal Siakam draws the foul) | ||
| 6:36 | | +3 | Scottie Barnes makes three point jump shot (Jakob Poeltl assists) | 34-46 |
| 6:11 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Neemias Queta assists) | 34-49 |
| 6:00 | | Scottie Barnes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:59 | | Neemias Queta defensive rebound | ||
| 5:50 | | +2 | Neemias Queta makes two point cutting layup (Jrue Holiday assists) | 34-51 |
| 5:37 | | +3 | Pascal Siakam makes three point jump shot (Jakob Poeltl assists) | 37-51 |
| 5:11 | | Payton Pritchard misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 5:09 | | Gary Trent Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 5:04 | | Sam Hauser blocks OG Anunoby's two point running layup | ||
| 5:01 | | Neemias Queta defensive rebound | ||
| 4:57 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point running layup (Jrue Holiday assists) | 37-53 |
| 4:50 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point driving hook shot | 39-53 |
| 4:50 | | Neemias Queta defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 4:50 | | Jrue Holiday shooting foul (Pascal Siakam draws the foul) | ||
| 4:50 | | +1 | Pascal Siakam makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 40-53 |
| 4:36 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving finger roll layup | 40-55 |
| 4:26 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point driving layup (Dennis Schroder assists) | 42-55 |
| 4:26 | | Neemias Queta defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 4:16 | | Payton Pritchard offensive foul (OG Anunoby draws the foul) | ||
| 4:16 | | Payton Pritchard turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 4:00 | | +3 | Pascal Siakam makes three point jump shot (OG Anunoby assists) | 45-55 |
| 3:39 | | Dennis Schroder personal foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 3:32 | | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point pullup jump shot | 45-58 |
| 3:04 | | Pascal Siakam misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:03 | | Jakob Poeltl offensive rebound | ||
| 3:03 | | +2 | Jakob Poeltl makes two point tip layup | 47-58 |
| 2:57 | | +3 | Jrue Holiday makes three point pullup jump shot | 47-61 |
| 2:55 | | Raptors 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:34 | | Gary Trent Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:32 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 2:24 | | Jrue Holiday misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:22 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 2:22 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point tip layup | 47-63 |
| 1:58 | | +2 | Jakob Poeltl makes two point floating jump shot (Dennis Schroder assists) | 49-63 |
| 1:46 | | Raptors technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 1:46 | | +1 | Derrick White makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 49-64 |
| 1:37 | | Derrick White misses two point driving layup | ||
| 1:35 | | Scottie Barnes defensive rebound | ||
| 1:22 | | Dennis Schroder misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:21 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 1:20 | | Jakob Poeltl personal foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 1:01 | | Jrue Holiday misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 0:59 | | Jakob Poeltl defensive rebound | ||
| 0:53 | | +2 | Pascal Siakam makes two point stepback jump shot | 51-64 |
| 0:36 | | Scottie Barnes personal foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 0:36 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 51-65 |
| 0:36 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 51-66 |
| 0:17 | | +2 | OG Anunoby makes two point stepback jump shot | 53-66 |
| 0:08 | |