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DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors newcomers flexed their muscle against the Celtics

The Raptors may have been without point guard Kyle Lowry, whose right wrist injury is cause for concern, but All-Star backcourt-mate DeMar DeRozan made sure Toronto didn’t spoil the impressive debuts of new teammates Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker in a 107-97 victory against the Boston Celtics.

DeRozan scored a career-high 43 points on 15-of-28 shooting, including a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line, to help the Raptors pick up a game on both the Celtics and Washington Wizards in the Eastern Conference standings. Toronto (34-24) pulled even in the win column with Washington (34-22) and now trails Boston (37-21) by just three games for second place behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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The Raptors trailed by as many as 17 points, but stingy perimeter defense kept Isaiah Thomas in check (20 points on 17 shots) and DeRozan did the rest to erase Boston’s lead early in the third quarter.

The two teams traded leads in the second half, with Boston leading by as many as eight in the fourth, but this DeRozan reverse layup around everybody tied the game at 88-88 with about five minutes left:

After a DeMarre Carroll 3-pointer gave Toronto a lead, DeRozan drained two tough jumpers to push the lead to two possessions twice in the final three minutes.The Celtics never recovered, and MVP chants rained down from the Air Canada Centre crowd as DeRozan iced the game with a series of free throws.

DeRozan scored 12 points in each of the final two quarters, out-dueling fourth-quarter king Thomas. The star shooting guard got some help from newcomers Ibaka and Tucker, who combined for 24 points, 17 rebounds and four steals. Those two anchored a defensive effort that’s been sorely lacking in Toronto during a 5-12 slide into the All-Star break, which was kind of the point in dealing for them.

DeRozan’s effort marked his second straight 40-point night against the Celtics, having scored 41 in a 114-106 win on Jan. 10. Toronto wrapped up its season series with Boston with a 3-1 record, and the Raptors’ lone loss to the Celtics came when DeRozan was injured earlier this month.

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So, while the C’s still sit in second place record-wise, the Raps aren’t about to relinquish their status as the East’s second-best team without a fight, and Friday night’s statement — without Lowry and with Ibaka and Tucker seamlessly fitting into the rotation — was certainly a blow to Boston’s psyche.

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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!