BSJ Game Report: Celtics 132, Raptors 125 - Tatum leads balanced attack to 4th straight win

Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 132-125 win over the Toronto Raptors with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

A win is a win: The Celtics seemed to come out with little defensive intensity, possibly expecting a depleted Raptors team on a back-to-back to kind of lay down. The Raptors did not oblige, instead drilling 21 three-pointers but somehow managing to still lose.

“We couldn't stop them,” Brad Stevens said after the game. “They were shooting the heck out of the ball, and credit them for that. They came in firing, they came in aggressive, assertive. Just really really a good game by them.”

Balance!: Eight Celtics scored in double figures, including everyone on the bench except Semi Ojeleye.  

“We needed every one of those points because we couldn't stop them,” Stevens said. “To meet that and to ultimately win that game we had to have a lot of guys step up.”

The passing was a lot better than it had been recently, which is part of why the bench was able to produce 51 points. 

“We've tried to emphasize more side-to-side, more cutting, more movement, add some options and some things to create that,” Steven said. “We have some guys that can really play individually one-on-one, but that's not only hard to sustain for 48 minutes and win, it's just hard physically on guys.”

TURNING POINT

Jaylen Brown scored 9 straight points to turn a 3 point deficit to a 3 point lead. The Celtics would never trail again.

TOP PLAYS

Jayson Tatum, doing his best Robert Williams impression.

[embed]https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1367643333993054216[/embed]

Robert Williams doing his best Robert Williams impression

[embed]https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1367642656898052097[/embed]

FIVE UP

Grant Williams: The other Wiliams has struggled for long stretches of this season. In this one, he led the bench brigade with 17 points on 7-9 shooting (3-4 3pt). 

“I think I was in my own head at the beginning and wasn't really working as hard as I could have been,” he admitted after the game. “The next thing you know, I kind of just flipped the mantra and got back to how I used to and how I worked my whole life. I think it's paid off.” 

Jayson Tatum: He had a great overall game (except, weirdly, from the line where he shot 6-10) with 27 points on 9-15 shooting (3-6 3pt), 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. His second half was more dominant, as he and the entire Celtics ramped up their effort. Tatum closed this out with a very Paul Pierce-like right elbow jumper. 

Jaylen Brown’s second half: His first half sucked. In fact, he didn’t wake up into that turning point stretch where he dropped nine straight points after flat-out tripping over his own feet for the second time in the game. 

“I thought I had a shitty game today; lack of focus,” Brown said. “I think it was better in the second half. I'm glad we got the win but lack of focus was evident on my behalf and I gotta be better in every moment of being a leader and that's a challenge. I'm looking forward to the second half."

These guys need some rest. This break is coming at the right time. 

Robert Williams: I have to mention him because people will get mad if I don’t. He didn’t have a huge statistical night, but he did occupy Raptors defenders who were clearly afraid of his ability to make plays at the rim. That kind of pressure will only amplify the more he plays like he has recently.

Jeff Teague: The floater is back. Teague struggled for most of the season, but now, suddenly, he’s getting into the teeth of the defense and getting his floater to fall. He started the second half for the Celtics.

TWO DOWN

Daniel Theis: Theis was pulled after just seven minutes. 

“They were impossible to play with two bigs,” Stevens said. “I thought Tristan (Thompson) and Rob were both pretty good tonight, and so they gave us something. Theis is a huge part of us and we need him badly going forward, but tonight I thought those other two guys were good. 

Semi Ojeleye: Rough game for him, playing just eight minutes, missing the only shot he took, and committing one turnover. Stevens decided to go with Grant Williams instead and Grant went off.

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

Goodbye, old Celtics... Hello, new Celtics: The return of Marcus Smart and Romeo Langford after the break will significantly change the Celtics, as could the trade deadline which lands just eight games into the second half.

So this game didn’t just end the first half of the season for Boston, it ended their first mini-season. When they return, they will look and play differently. 

The double-big lineups are probably history except for certain situations, which means someone on this team is about to be a little upset (unless a trade sweeps that problem away). The addition of Langford gives the Celtics a wing who knows how Stevens wants defense to be played. The addition of Smart gets this team’s heart beating again. 

The Celtics survived a very rough first half. Now they get to rest, regroup, and give us a very different look by the time this month ends. A lot of the things we saw and stressed about over the past 40 days and 40 nights as the NBA flooded the Celtics with game after game after game may not even be relevant when the April showers begin. 

We get caught up in what’s under the microscope, but Stevens and the Celtics are using a telescope to see the finish line and realize how long of a road an NBA season is, especially one as unique as this one. There are a lot of twists and turns left in this season.