Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 110-99 win over the Raptors in quickie form.
Box Score
HEADLINES
Six straight wins: The Celtics were down three point guards (Shane Larkin was sick) but managed to overcome the odds yet again in a tightly contested affair against the Raptors. A nip-and-tuck affair for three quarters turned Boston’s way late after they stoned the high-powered Raptors offense in the fourth quarter (33 percent shooting, 1-of-10 from 3-point range). Marcus Morris came up huge (eight of his team-high 25 points) came in the fourth quarter, while Jayson Tatum (24 points), Terry Rozier (21 points) all contributed to a balanced offense that executed well down the stretch. The hosts outscored the Raptors 28-15 in the final frame to run away with the 11-point win.
??? pic.twitter.com/YiGwI1oTez
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 1, 2018
2-3 Zone works again:
The Celtics saw some success with the 2-3 zone in Utah, so they went back to it again periodically against the Raptors.
The length of the C’s guards gave the Raptors problems at the top of the zone (seven fourth-quarter turnovers) and a poor shooting night from Toronto (22 percent from 3-point range) paid dividends as the visitors failed to find their rhythm down the stretch.
First place in East still in play:
Two weeks ago, the one seed was all but a certainty for the Raptors in the wake of Kyrie Irving’s injury and a seven-game lead in the East standings. However, a six-game winning streak for Boston has helped close that gap in a hurry. The deficit is now down to two with six games remaining for both teams. One more head-to-head battle looms on Wednesday night in Toronto and the tiebreaker will be on the line in that contest (C’s lead season series 2-1).
TURNING POINT
The Celtics went to the 2-3 zone midway through the fourth quarter and immediately broke open a tie game with a 10-2 run. The Raptors committed three turnovers and missed two shots over that two-minute stretch, and the Celtics took advantage of the miscues with quick points in response.
TWO UP
Tatum:
The rookie did work against one of the best defenses in the league, particularly in the third quarter. He hit his first four shots of the frame, including a pair of baskets from downtown to score 14 of his 24 points in the period. He also dished out four assists, setting up his teammates for easy looks when Toronto started collapsing on him with multiple bodies in the paint.
Aron Baynes:
After starting his season 0-of-12 from beyond the arc, the center hit back-to-back 3s to cap the best offensive quarter of his season. He scored 12 points in the period on 4-of-5 shooting, continuing a strong stretch of production from the big man, who has found confidence in his midrange jumper again.
Baynes for three!!! pic.twitter.com/B3BLEnDXhz
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 1, 2018
TWO DOWN
Jaylen Brown:
The swingman landed on the injury report before the game with a sore toe and it’s fair to wonder whether it was bothering him, given his lack of production. He scored just four points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field, a sharp contrast to the aggression he showcased on the team’s west coast trip.
Abdel Nader defending DeMar DeRozan:
Stevens went small with the rookie wing at the end of the third quarter and DeRozan took advantage. He scored 15 points in the frame, roasting the second-round pick on a collection of isolation plays. The All-Star also drew a 3-shot foul after Nader fouled him.
TOP PLAY
Morris gets the lefty to fall through contact off the sweet dime by Tatum! pic.twitter.com/q2gmiBvaEO
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 1, 2018
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
The Eastern Conference playoffs are going to be a hell of a battle:
This wasn’t playoff-level intensity at the TD Garden, but it was pretty close to it from two teams just executing at a high level throughout the tightly contested affair. The Raptors play smart disciplined basketball, while Brad Stevens continues to maximize his lineup on any given night despite being down five rotation players. For much of the past decade, the Eastern Conference has been a walkover for whatever team LeBron James is playing for, but I sense some change on that front this time around. These two squads can play with anyone and they will be doing battle with a talented pool of Eastern Conference teams in Cleveland, Philadelphia and Washington. It should create some entertaining matchups, especially after the first round.
Point Tatum may need to become a thing:
The situation got pretty dire for Brad Stevens on Sunday night with three point guards sidelined. Rozier needed to rest at some point and the only true guards remaining on the bench were G-League players. With Toronto’s bigs hounding Al Horford on the perimeter, Tatum got a shot at point guard and made the best of it. He attacked the rim nicely when he found openings in the defense and facilitated the second unit to some easy buckets, showing off an improved passing eye. It’s early, but this type of offensive creation is a promising sign for a guy who hadn’t played point guard since high school.