Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics 104-88 win over the Toronto Raptors, with BSJ insight and analysis.
The Celtics played a wonderful first half of basketball, flipping the script on Toronto from the first game. They were moving the ball, grabbing offensive rebounds, getting out in transition, and attacking the rim. The Raptors looked to be the team stuck in mud and, aside from Scottie Barnes, they weren’t getting much from anyone.
Then things leveled off a little bit in the second half. The Celtics seemed to let up a bit, they got sloppy (5 third-quarter turnovers), and they missed a lot of shots. However, they were able to survive Toronto’s push and keep most of their lead. Then in the fourth quarter, they overcame their sloppiness when Jayson Tatum returned to put away the Raptors.
HEADLINES
REVENGE! Okay, not really, but it was nice to see them do what they were supposed to do against the Raptors. There was a lull in the third quarter thanks to a ton of turnovers, but the Celtics actually did what they set out to do.
Defense shows up again: They held the Raptors to 88 points on 42.9% shooting (24% 3pt). After scoring 25 points in the first quarter, they scored 21, 22, and 20 in the final three quarters. This is how the Celtics were able to withstand Toronto’s runs.
Tatum overcomes poor shooting: He was 8-24 on the night but 12 rebounds, 7 assists, a steal, and just 2 turnovers. Tatum’s shooting is still sporadic so far, but instead of sulking, he’s doing other things.
TURNING POINT
After Toronto cut the lead to 8 points with 6:59 to go, Tatum assisted on two buckets and hit a 3-pointer as part of an 8-0 run to put the lead back into somewhat comfortable range.
THREE UP
Jayson Tatum: It looked very much like he was going to get a triple-double in this one, but everything Boston did cooled off and that went out the window. But when it mattered most in the fourth quarter, he hit a huge 3-pointer and dished out two assists to create some breathing room.
“He didn't have the best shooting night but he knows how they are going to guard him,” Ime Udoka said. “Our big point of emphasis was them overhelping and shifting and gambling on him as you saw in the first half. He was really getting into the paint and kicking out for wide-open shots, whether they made or missed them. He's doing what he asked, he knows that will alleviate the pressure on him later in the game if guys can make them pay early in the first half and he did that.”
Robert Williams: His first four buckets were putbacks and his 8 offensive rebounds were a career-high.
“That was something I pointed out to him a few games ago,” Udoka said. “I felt like he wasn’t going as hard as he could to the offensive glass, he was kind of just standing behind guys ... We’ve got guys going to the basket. Most teams in the league are over helping, shifting, and he can just clean up on the weak side.”
He finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block.
Marcus Smart: 13 points, 3 steals, and a block for Smart, whose defense was on point, as was his passing.
“I think Marcus did a good job today,” Josh Richardson said. “When he came back in in the third, I think he kind of swayed the momentum of the game.”
I think Richardson meant the fourth, because Smart subbed back in with Tatum in the fourth, grabbed a rebound, stole the ball from OG Anunoby and won the ensuing jump ball. That ultimately became a Tatum assist to Williams for the dunk.
ONE DOWN
Dennis Schroder: Once again, a look at his box score would suggest he was good in this game. 20 points on 8-15 shooting, 2-3 from 3, and 4 assists looks like a great game. But once again, I look up from a game where I think don’t think Schroder played great and he’s filled the stat sheet. Honestly, it’s kind of confusing to me. I wouldn’t say he played poorly, but I certainly don’t come away from this game thinking he was awesome.
What’s not confusing is his 8 turnovers, almost all of which lead to run-outs for the Raptors. Schroder was one of the main reasons the third quarter was such a mess.
TOP PLAY
DUNK after DUNK after DUNK@rob_williamsIII | #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes pic.twitter.com/IVuzytp8qY
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 11, 2021
TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL REGRET LATER
- Clutch doesn’t have to be in the fourth quarter: The Toronto Raptors started the second quarter on a 6-0 run to cut the game to two. Al Horford hit a hook shot to snap that run, played some great help defense on a drive to shut down a layup attempt and force a late kickout for a rushed 3-pointer that missed, and soon after hit a jumper to push the lead back out to six.
Boston won that quarter by eight, doubling their first-quarter lead at the half, giving them the pad they needed to hold on in the third quarter.
The Celtics needed that little stretch from Horford to make that happen, and if no one stepped up in that moment, then this is an entirely different game.
I love to say that clutch plays don’t have to happen “in the clutch,” which the NBA defines as the final five minutes in a game with a difference of five points or less. That stretch from Horford was just as clutch to me, because that could have been a major turning point in the game.
- The Celtics still have to put a complete game together. They’re inching closer, but we’re still waiting for that big, wire-to-wire, great game from these guys. It’s fantastic that they’re absorbing punches and responding, but eventually we’d like to see something a little more wire-to-wire.