It was a night when the defence was good but not great; the intensity high but not ferocious. A night when all the turnovers became baskets and shots that have been falling for a week went an inch or two awry.

It was a night when everything was off kilter just a fraction and it was a night when the Raptors saw their season-high winning streak come to a screeching halt.

Riding the sublime talents of Paul Pierce, the Boston Celtics ended Toronto's win streak at five here at the FleetCenter with a 106-97 victory that kept the Raptors from moving into third place in the NBA's Eastern Conference.