(Associated Press)

BOSTON --- Here's a little bit of trivia: When was the last time the 76ers swept a three-game road trip?

OK, can't come up with the answer? How about this -- when was the last time the Sixers won three straight on any given road trip?

The answer to both: It's been a while.

That explains why Jrue Holiday took such a harsh stance Friday night at the Boston Garden, where he and the Sixers thrashed the Celtics, setting the table for a 3-0 road trip with a victory tonight in Toronto.

"We're going to take it to 'em," said Holiday, who had 21 points and 14 assists in the 106-100 win over Boston. "We have to play them the same way we played Boston tonight. Sometimes you tend to back off because they don't hit you first. We have to go in there and hit them in the mouth first."

The Sixers can't afford a lag in energy. It's what cost them the first of that two-game, home-home swing earlier in the week against New York, according to coach Doug Collins. And with a sliver of history on the line, they don't want to let up.

With a win in Toronto, the Sixers will have won three straight road games in the same road series for the first time since April 18-25, 2012, when they took the first four of a five-game trip to end last season.

Doesn't sound like a big deal, right? Well, a three-game road sweep with a win tonight would represent only the fourth time in the last 11 seasons (dating to the 2002-03 campaign) that the Sixers were able to win three straight away from home in any singular series. It'd also be their first three-game road-trip sweep since 2003.

They won the first three games of an eight-game trip, from Dec. 22-28, 2004. The last time they swept a three-game road trip was Feb. 16-21, 2003, when they came away with wins at New Jersey, at Chicago and at Cleveland.

So you see the reason for Holiday's sense of urgency.

"We're high off this win," Holiday said, "but we need to carry it over."

Added Evan Turner, who had 25 points and 11 rebounds against the Celtics: "We have to come out with the same intensity and not get too happy."