The Celtics extended their flawless start to the inaugural In-Season Tournament with a 108-105 win against the Toronto Raptors. Boston was far from their best on Friday night with Jaylen Brown the only Celtic to surpass 20 points in the game. The biggest difference between this year’s new look Celtics side and ones of the past appears to be their late game execution, as Boston continued to make the correct play down the stretch which led to their second victory of the season against Toronto.
Boston started the game poorly, as Pascal Siakam and Garry Trent got going for the Raptors. The Celtics got multiple good looks from three and attempted 15 3-point shots in the first quarter. However, they failed to capitalize, especially Jayson Tatum who had his worst shooting night in a very long time, shooting just 1-11 from behind the arc. Tatum will need to return to his 30-points per night scoring rate to be in with a shout of becoming an MVP for the first time.
Although, it did not take long for the Celtics to find their offensive flow, as they rapidly built up a 16-point lead in the second quarter. Despite Boston only opting to use three bench players, they provided 27 points and some consistent three-point shooting, as Al Horford and Sam Hauser combined for 6-10 shooting from the three-point line. The Raptors completely fell apart defensively, giving up 39 points in the second quarter alone. Tatum finished the quarter with a contender for play of the season, as a series of Celtics passes resulted in a wide open 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Toronto surged back into the game quickly just after the restart, tying up the game with 4:37 still to play in the third quarter. They were led by former Celtic Dennis Schroder, who was spurred on by the events of last weeks catastrophic loss in Boston. Both Schroder and Pascal Siakam scored 23 points leading the way for Toronto. Boston battled hard to end the third quarter and narrowly held on to a 3-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Through all their early season faults, one thing that can certainly not be questioned is Boston’s late game execution. This was on full display once again, as the Celtics made play after play in the fourth quarter to come out victorious. The final nail in the Raptors’ coffin was yet another clutch 3-pointer from Derrick White which sealed the win.
Joe Mazzulla commented on the Celtics’ victory after the game via ESPN: “I felt we did a good job tonight, but I thought it was one of our lesser performances.” “It was the first time this year where we just weren’t the best version of ourselves”. Derrick White also spoke about Boston’s performance: “I kind of felt like we didn’t really have that extra gear, or that gear that we’ve been playing with for the year so far”. Boston’s road trip continues Sunday night in Memphis, as the Celtics get their first reunion with Marcus Smart. Boston will head into Memphis with an NBA best 10-2 record.
By Will C
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