The script seemed perfect.

Avery Bradley, the only former Maine Red Claw on the court at the end of the game, drained a step-back jumper to rally the Boston Celtics all the way back from a nine-point deficit.

Trouble was, eight seconds remained in their preseason game with Toronto, which called a timeout and put the ball in the hands of Lou Williams, who sank a contested 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left to give the Raptors a 92-89 victory Wednesday night before a crowd of 5,909 at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.

It was the first National Basketball Association action in Maine in 19 years.

“It’s always good to be able to see our fans in Maine,” said Bradley, who played nine games for the Red Claws in his rookie season four years ago. “I’m pretty sure everybody enjoyed the game here tonight. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get the win, but the atmosphere was amazing and I really enjoyed it.”

The Celtics had one final chance to tie, but Jared Sullinger’s open 3-point attempt from the left wing hit the back of the rim.

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The Raptors, who beat the Celtics five nights earlier in Canada, never trailed after the opening minutes and improved their preseason record to 4-1.

Boston (2-3) suffered its third consecutive loss.

“I’m sorry that we were struggling to throw the ball in the ocean the first three quarters,” said Celtics Coach Brad Stevens, “and overall we didn’t shoot it very well, but it was a great atmosphere and we’re appreciative for the opportunity to come up here.”

Toronto led by as many as 11 points in the first half and as many as 12 in the second, but each time the Celtics battled back to tie. Forward Jeff Green, seeing his first preseason action because of a calf injury, played 31 minutes and might have gone longer if not for taking a finger in the eye while driving to the basket early in the third quarter.

“I’m good,” he said. “I can see. It just got real blurry when I got hit. It took about 15 to 20 minutes for it to clear up, but I’m straight.”

Green finished with nine points on 3-of-12 shooting from the floor. Sullinger led the Celtics with 10 rebounds. Guard Marcus Thornton came off the bench to score a game-high 17 points in 17 minutes and converted an unusual five-point play early in the fourth.

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Thornton was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer that went in and made both the resulting free throw and another for a technical foul on Toronto’s Jordan Hamilton.

Earlier in the second half, Celtics guard Evan Turner was ejected after being hit with consecutive technicals. He left with 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The first half ended in a 43-43 tie, thanks to a strong closing run by the Celtics sparked by Tyler Zeller.

Zeller outplayed fellow Tar Heel Tyler Hansbrough with help from Turner. Four times in the first half, Turner found Zeller cutting to the basket and fed him for a short-range field goal.

“I think I’m getting more and more comfortable every game,” said Zeller, a first-time visitor to Maine. “I was actually a little surprised at how nice the stadium is here.”

Toronto led by as many as 11 in the second quarter, but the Celtics finished the half with a 16-5 run that included 3-pointers by Marcus Smart and Green and two short shots from Zeller.

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The Raptors made two bids at a go-ahead basket, but Zeller made consecutive blocks, first against Greivis Vasquez and then, more impressively, against Terrence Ross, the 2013 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion.

NOTES: If you noticed any particularly tall young men walking around the Old Port Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon, there’s a good chance they were Raptors. They flew into Maine late Monday night/early Tuesday morning and had a chance to explore the city.

Toronto Coach Dwane Casey planned to treat his staff to dinner Tuesday night at DiMillo’s Floating Restaurant, but a mix-up in the reservations resulted in a 45-minute wait when they arrived.

“So we ended up going to Five Guys Burgers and Fries,” Casey said of a nearby burger joint on Fore Street. “How embarrassing is that, to come to a great seafood city and have to eat Five Guys Burgers and Fries? But it was good.”


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