Raptors end Celtics' six-game win streak with thrilling OT victory

TORONTO — Pascal Siakam had 40 points and 13 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat the hottest team in the Eastern Conference on Monday, downing the Boston Celtics 115-112 in overtime.

Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby scored 14 points apiece, while Gary Trent Jr. and Thaddeus Young finished with 12 apiece, and Scottie Barnes chipped in with 10 for the Raptors (43-32), winners of nine of their last 11 games.

Marcus Smart had 28 points to top the East-leading Celtics (47-29), who saw their six-game win streak come to a halt.

With seven games left in the regular season, the Raptors went into Monday clutching a one-game lead over Cleveland for sixth spot in the East. A top-six finish would mean going straight to the post-season and avoiding play-in games.

The Raptors trailed by 11 points in the first quarter of Monday's rough-and-tumble game. They finally took their first lead late in the second, and paced the Celtics basket for basket though a third quarter that saw neither team lead by more than three points. The score was tied 80-80 through three quarters before a capacity crowd of 19,800 that included Canada's World Cup-bound men's soccer team.

Payton Pritchard's three-pointer early in the fourth had Boston up by seven, but Young replied with five straight points and VanVleet knocked down back-to-back threes, to ear-splitting cheers from the crowd, and it was a one-point game with 3:08 to play.

Trailing by four with a minute to play, Siakam drove to the hoop to slice the difference to two, then grabbed a defensive rebound and was fouled with 12.6 seconds left. He made both to tie it up and send the game to OT tied 106-106.

Trailing by four in the extra period, Anunoby connected from long distance, then Siakam scored on