(Field Level Media) Kyrie Irving scored a season-best 43 points, including four in overtime, and added 11 assists as the Boston Celtics came back to defeat the visiting Toronto Raptors 123-116 on Friday night.
Gordon Hayward made a jumper and Irving made a layup to give Boston a four-point lead with 3:43 to play in overtime.
When Jayson Tatum made two free throws with 3:09 to play, Boston led by five. Irving’s 13-foot pullup jumper gave Boston a seven-point lead.
Tatum added 21 points, Hayward had 15 and Marcus Morris and Al Horford had 11 each for the Celtics.
Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors with 31 points and 15 rebounds.
Serge Ibaka added 21 points, Pascal Siakam 16, Kyle Lowry 14 and Jonas Valanciunas 11 for the Raptors. Danny Green also had 11 points for Toronto before fouling out with 3:43 to play in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics, who had lost four of their previous six games, handed the Raptors their third straight loss after a 12-1 start. The teams have split their first two games this season.
The Raptors, who led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, took a four-point edge into the fourth.
Irving made a running layup after a missed shot by the Raptors to give the Celtics a 92-90 lead with 7:06 to play.
Delon Wright hit a 3-pointer after a Boston miss to give Toronto a four-point lead with 1:29 left at 107-103.
Boston came back to tie it at 107 with two free throws by Hayward with 24.5 seconds remaining.
Leonard missed a 17-footer in the final second to force overtime.
The Celtics used a 16-4 burst to lead 21-16 with 3:46 left in the first quarter, which ended with Boston ahead 30-27. Irving topped all scorers with 12 points.
A 15-foot jumper by Morris gave Boston a 44-31 lead with 7:36 left in the second quarter.
The Raptors tightened their defense and took a one-point lead on Ibaka’s 20-footer with 1:30 play in the first half. But Irving’s layup gave Boston a 54-52 halftime lead.
Toronto lost OG Anunoby, who scored five points in 9:21, to a sprained right wrist in the first half.
The Raptors led 82-78 after three quarters.