BOSTON -- Not too many teams have been able to outshoot the Raptors this season. The Celtics were the latest to try and fail.Kyle Lowry scored 21 of his season-high 34 points in the second half to help Toronto hold on for a 101-94 victory over Boston on Friday night.Toronto erased an eight-point halftime deficit and led by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter. The Celtics pulled within four in the final minute, but Al Horford fouled Lowry on a 3-point attempt with 30 seconds to play. Lowry made all three free throws to help close out the victory.DeMar DeRozan added 24 points, and Norman Powell had 20. The Raptors have won eight of their last nine.I dont think weve had a tough game in that sense of having to come back and fight, Lowry said. But weve done it before so I think our team is equipped to handle the pressure situations thats going on. We just kept going at it.Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas sat out his second straight game with a strained right groin. Marcus Smart started in his place, but struggled to keep up with Lowry down the stretch.Horford and Avery Bradley each had 19 points to lead Boston.Boston had nine 3-pointers in the first half and used a 13-0 run in the second quarter to take a 14-point lead. The Raptors crawled out of that hole with 21-3 run in the third. Lowry had 14 points in the quarter.The Celtics kept firing 3s in the second half, but cooled off and finished 17 for 42 for the game.They just werent falling tonight, Bradley said. We got some really good looks in the second half. We just werent making shots.DeRozan said the Raptors defense in the third quarter, limiting Boston to just five field goals while forcing five turnovers, is something to build on.It shows a lot about how resilient we are, he said. No matter if things arent going well for us, we can always play extremely hard defensively and try to figure out a way to win.TIP-INSRaptors: Powell started in place of DeMarre Carroll, who was given the night off to rest and was not with the team. F Bruno Caboclo (sore right knee) also did not travel.Celtics: Tied a franchise high with 17 made 3-pointers. ... Shot just 12 of 42 from the field in the second half. ... Were outscored 33-18 in the third quarter.MAKING PROGRESSThe closest Thomas came to basketball Friday was matching up against some kids in a pregame video game challenge on NBA 2K, which was played on the TD Garden jumbotron. He said that hes making progress in rehabbing from his groin strain and is hoping to return Wednesday when the Celtics play at San Antonio.Its getting better. It hasnt gotten any worse, Thomas said. Today I feel a lot better than I have since Ive gotten the injury. So well see.MINUTES WATCHAs much production as the Raptors have gotten out of Lowry this season, coach Dwane Casey said the coaching staff is mindful of the number of minutes hes playing. Lowry entered the night averaging 37.4 minutes per game, which was second in the NBA behind only New Orleans Anthony Davis (38.1). He played 36 minutes Friday.Its a big concern, Casey said. We watch it. We try to keep it down as much as we can. But at the same time were trying to win games. Because if we dont win as many games as we did last year worried about resting players, then we dont get home court advantage last year.UP NEXTRaptors: Host Milwaukee on Monday night.Celtics: Begin a two-game trip at Oklahoma City on Sunday night.---Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower Mark Andrews Ravens Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Jonathan Ogden Jersey .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. http://www.cheapravensshoponline.com/Youth-marquise-brown-ravens-jersey/ .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. Jaylon Ferguson Womens Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Lamar Jackson Youth Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Olympic officials were full of praise when they awarded the Olympics to Rio seven years ago, never imagining such things as the Zika virus and green water in the pools.Indeed, they declared that there was absolutely no flaw in Rios plans for the games.Many of those plans have since gone awry, as plans often do. The first Olympics in South America remains very much a work in progress, beset by myriad problems that organizers seem unable -- or unwilling -- to solve.Midway through the games, its time to give the Rio Olympics some grades:ATMOSPHERE: This isnt London with its iconic venues, but Rio has some things going for it as an Olympic host. Beach volleyball on the famed Copacabana sand looks good, and so does the sailing on Guanabara Bay, assuming you can ignore the raw sewage that pours into it. But the main Olympic park is barren and devoid of decoration, the diving and water polo pools are green , and most of the venues look like they were built without concern about whether they would stay up. Did we mention the sewage stench that greets fans at some venues? Take away the occasional samba dancing, and theres not much to get anyone in the Olympic spirit. GRADE D-plus.ATTITUDE: There has been plenty of it, from U.S. soccer goalie Hope Solo calling the Swedish team a bunch of cowards to an Egyptian judoka refusing to shake the hand of his Israeli opponent after a match. The best attitude of the whole Olympics, though, came from U.S. swimmer Lilly King, who called out her Russian opponent for doping and then backed it up by beating her for a gold medal in the pool. These are the best athletes in the world, and sometimes they have a lot to say, even if some of it is offensive. GRADE B.WATER: What is it about Brazil and water? The country just cant get it right. Guanabara Bay looks beautiful on television but dangerous up close, and the water in the rowing venue is filled with viruses, much to the displeasure of the pair of Serbian rowers who tipped over in it. Meanwhile, the worlds best divers plunge into a murky green pool, and water polo was played in a pool so full of chlorine that they finally had to drain and refill it. GRADE F.CROWDS: Theres a lot to like about fans who cheer loudly for underdogs and the home team, and enjoy taunting almost everybody else. OK, maybe they went a bit too far when chanting Uh! Youre gonna die! Uh! Youre gonna die! to the opponent of a Brazilian fencer, but it seemed to all be done in fun. On the flip side, there were lots of empty seats at many events because of high ticket prices or a lack of interest. GRADE C.SAFETY: A media bus had its windows shattered and stray bullets were twice fired into Olympic complexes. Two Australian coaches were robbed at knifepoint near Ipanema beach, and so was Portugals education minister. Gang members in a favela killed a Brazillian police officer who took a wrong turn while working Olympic security, and fans attending the opening ceremony passed by a man shot to death in the street.dddddddddddd Rio was a dangerous city to begin with, but the incidents are even more disturbing considering there are more than 85,000 security forces deployed to protect the games. GRADE D.MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES: Every Olympics has some, even one as troubled as Rio. Michael Phelps won a bunch of medals once again, but its not like that hasnt happened before. Indeed, the best moments from the pool came when Katie Ledecky nearly lapped the field in the 800-meter for her fourth Olympic gold, and Simone Manuel became the first African-American woman to win a swimming gold. Not as well noticed outside Brazil was Rafaela Silva taking judo gold , the first win for the home team. Silva, who grew up in poverty in the City of God favela, was subjected to racial abuse from Brazilians after missing out on a medal in the 2012 Olympics. Today, Im not an embarrassment for my family, she said. GRADE B.DOPING: This has nothing to do with Rio, and everything to do with the International Olympic Committee allowing politics to mix with cheaters. Five more have been caught doping so far in these games, but if history is any indication a lot more will get away with doping in Rio just like they have in other Olympics. GRADE D.LOGISTICS: Traveling to different venues has been a nightmare at times, largely because Rio is separated by mountains and Brazils highways often look more like parking lots. Everyone seems to have a story about confused taxi drivers and lengthy bus rides, though for the most part the buses have run on time and theyve usually gone to the right places. That wasnt true Friday night when British swimmer got on an unmarked bus at the Olympic village and was taken to the Olympic Stadium 45 minutes away instead of the nearby swimming arena. Swimming officials had to push back the 50-meter qualifying schedule so she and two others could make it in time. GRADE C.OVERALL: Rio was always a disaster waiting to happen, and so far disaster has largely been avoided. Hysteria over the Zika virus has faded, there have been no terrorist attacks, and only one sailor has reported being sickened by polluted waters. More importantly, perhaps, the big television show that is the Olympics looks good on TV, even if NBCs ratings are down.Still, every Olympics has its problems and Rio has had more than most. If things dont get better in the final week, that is how these games will ultimately be remembered. GRADE C-minus.----Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg ' ' '