Celtics are looking more vindicated than ever for bold trade

The Celtics bounced back from Wednesday's disappointing loss to the Denver Nuggets with a 125-117 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

Here's what stood out:

Anfernee Simons looks more dependable by the day

It may be too late for Anfernee Simons to fully get in on the Sixth Man of the Year race (maybe it’s not, you can never be too sure in January). He continued what’s been an impressive stretch of play in Friday’s meeting with the Raptors.

Though SImons didn’t check in for the first 11:56, he still gave the Cs a strong boost off the bench. He caught fire in the second quarter and scored 11 of his 15 points during the frame.

It’s obvious that the Celtics have figured out how Simons fits into their game plan on a nightly basis, and he clearly gives them an edge when he’s got it going as he has lately.

This Raptors team is going to play hard, regardless of the score or the personnel

In the hours leading up to tip-off, the Raptors officially ruled both Scotty Barnes and Brandon Ingram out on Friday. Even without two of their best three players, Toronto fought with everything they had to compete with Boston.

They brought tremendous pressure to the ballhandler on just about every possession in the second half, and weren’t afraid to throw double teams at Jaylen Brown, or anyone else coming off of a screen.

Their defensive intensity changed the flow of this game on multiple occasions, as it has in previous matchups this season.

Jaylen Brown seems to be dunking the ball significantly more lately 

This one’s pretty straightforward. Jaylen Brown had two loud dunks in this game, and it got me thinking about how frequently he’s thrown down lately.

Earlier in the season, Brown played with more finesse, weaving to the basket and showing off his touch around the rim.

After he had meniscus surgery last spring, it was tough not to wonder if he’d lost some bounce in the operating room.

It’s been nice of him to remind us all that that is not the case.

Brown finished the game with 25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.

Luke Kornet was in the building

It’s pretty rare for an active NBA player to show up to a game that he isn’t playing in, especially in the regular season. Once in a while, guys will pop out to playoff games if their season was ended early, that kind of thing.

Needless to say, it was surprising to see former Celtics center Luke Kornet emerge from the TD Garden tunnel in the first half and make his way to his courtside seat on the baseline.

Kornet caught up with Jayson Tatum, Wyc Grousbeck, as well as other former teammates and coaches.

The former NBA champion will be back at TD Garden Saturday when his San Antonio Spurs visit the Cs.