Everything you need to know about the Celtics beating the Raptors 117-108 with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Kyrie closes out the Raptors (again): Two months after putting together a season-high, 43-point masterpiece against the Raptors, Kyrie Irving put on another show at the TD Garden against the NBA’s best team. He posted 27 points and a career-high 18 assists, helping the hosts rally from a four-point deficit with four minutes remaining, closing the game with a 17-4 run to pull away with a much-needed 117-108 win. Kawhi Leonard had a game-high 33 points but went cold down the stretch as Irving and Al Horford (season-high 24 points) helped the Celtics stop a three-game losing streak back at the Garden. The Raptors had their five-game winning streak snapped as the C’s pulled within six games of the No. 1 seed in the East after the win.
Baynes provides a big boost in return: The veteran center hit the ground running in his return after a four-game absence, providing a big boost on both ends of the floor as he posted nine points and five rebounds in just 14 minutes of action. He battled down on the block with Greg Monroe, grabbing four offensive rebounds which helped the C’s produce 11 second-chance points in the nine-point win. His return to the lineup also sent Daniel Theis to the bench as Stevens opted to play just nine players in the win.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics opened up the second quarter on a 23-8 run, clamping down defensively behind the energy of Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown in the backcourt and a returning Baynes in the paint. The run helped turn a double-digit deficit for Boston into an 11-point lead going into halftime, changing the momentum of the game.
TWO UP
The second unit in the first half: Led by Gordon Hayward (team-high 16 points at the break), the Celtics’ bench played some of their best collective basketball of the season early on, combining to go 14-of-18 from the field in the first half to score 34 of Boston’s first 64 points. While the hot shooting was impressive, the defensive intensity was ratcheted up as well by the likes of Rozier and Brown to help contain a Raptors offense to 17 points in the second quarter.
Al Horford: After a sluggish start in the first half, the big man played some of his best basketball of the season in the third quarter to quiet a Raptors run by scoring 12 of his 24 points in the frame, including seven straight at one point in the tail end of the frame. A one-handed throwdown on Ibaka also showed the 31-year-old had a little more pep in his step in this one and he finished off several key dishes from Irving as well down the stretch.
TWO DOWN
Marcus Morris: Arguably the most consistent Celtic all season, Morris delivered his second straight dud in this contest, missing six of his first eight shots on his way to a six-point night. It was just the second time all season he scored below 10 points in two straight games.
Jayson Tatum over the first three quarters: The second-year forward debuted a laceless shoe for Nike on Wednesday night and odds are he might not be going back to it anytime soon after a tough shooting performance early on. He missed 10 of his first 13 shots before capitalizing on a few key transition bucks down the stretch that were assisted by Irving.
TOP PLAY
AL HORFORD ??? pic.twitter.com/pH85v76xCj
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 17, 2019