BSJ Game Report: Toronto Raptors 115, Boston Celtics 112 - C's nearly pull off upset missing four starters

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics' overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

They tried. Without four starters (only Marcus Smart was available), the Celtics built a lead as high as 11 against the Raptors, but their execution down the stretch was lacking. The Celtics turned the ball over too much and without their stars, fumbled away chances down the stretch. It was a valiant effort, but it was also a missed opportunity.

HEADLINES

No really, they TRIED: I come away from this game feeling totally fine about the Celtics. There are things they could have done better for sure, but the effort was there from beginning to end. 

Turnovers were killers: They maybe tried a little too hard. Smart has been brilliant for the Celtics in his point guard role, but he struggled as the team’s primary option. His 7 turnovers were costly since most of them were live-ball turnovers, a few turning into Raptors points. He was not alone, though. Boston had 17 turnovers that turned into 26 Raptors points. 

"Hell of a night fighting, especially on the second night of a back-to-back shorthanded. But there’s a lot of things we left on the table - kind of shot ourselves in the foot," Ime Udoka said. "Loved the fight, loved the effort, we had our chances, and I gave the group props for that. The main thing I looked for was the areas they’re really good at, and they hurt us with the offensive rebounds and the turnovers, them getting up 13 more shots. If we took care of those and cut them in half, we would have been in great shape."

Late game execution was not good: The Celtics struggled without their main guys on the floor in those crunch-time situations. Boston had chances to take late leads but just couldn't convert. Grant Williams dribbled off his foot and turned it over on the last possession of regulation, and Derrick White short-armed a layup that could have given the Celtics a one-point lead with 18 seconds left. 

TURNING POINT

OG Anunoby hit a corner 3-pointer with Boston up 4 in the overtime, triggering a 7-0 run that gave Toronto a lead they’d never relinquish. Boston didn’t score over the final 3:16 of the OT.

THREE UP

Aaron Nesmith: He hit a huge 3-pointer in the fourth quarter that looked like it might seal a win for Boston. It was a big-time shot that capped a really nice overall effort for him. He had multiple hard landings that make me think he is part albatross, but he also had a lot of great hustle plays and he remains a strong driver and finisher. He finished with 13 points on 5-8 shooting (2-4 3pt) to go along with 3 steals. He was also Boston’s best chance against a red-hot Pascal Siakam. 

Sam Hauser: 10 points on 4-6 shooting and 2-3 from deep. He has such an interesting shot because the arc is super high and it makes for some soft landings on the rim. 

Daniel Theis: 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots in a glimpse of what he can be filling in for Rob Williams moving forward. I’m encouraged by a few things that I saw, which will make Wednesday night with a presumably full roster interesting. I’m very curious what the team takes out of this (I have something for you in just a second)

TWO DOWN 

Payton Pritchard: Tough night for him to lose his shooting touch. Just 2-9 from deep and 3-12 overall. He was also targeted by Siakam a lot, leading to his removal down the stretch. Anyone expressing concerns about Pritchard in the playoffs can point to this performance as supporting evidence. Obviously life is different with a full squad behind you and Jayson Tatum getting you open shots, but it was still a tough night for him. 

Grant Williams: I don’t think the numbers tell the whole story with Grant in this one. He made a few great plays, including some great defense blocking a couple of shots. The turnovers were a bit too much and they came in critical times. 

ONE UP AND DOWN

Marcus Smart: I just can’t bring myself to put Smart in the down category after this one. As the team’s only available starter, Smart was put in a position where had to do a lot -- too much, even. His counting stats are good: 28 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, a block … but also those 7 turnovers.

Smart drove hard and was looking to draw contact and live at the line. He spent a lot of the night on the floor, not getting the whistle, which accounted for some of his poor shooting numbers (10-25 from the field). He tried every trick in the book and he won some of those battles. The turnovers definitely hurt a lot, and we don't really want to see Smart taking 11 3-pointers in a game, but this was Smart trying to make up for losing all the scoring. 

He almost did it. He played hard and made a lot of big plays. He also made a few mistakes we can’t overlook. Tough position for him to be in. 

TOP PLAYS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Celtics need to treat Daniel Theis a little more like Robert Williams. 

This is going to be an adjustment, but the Celtics are going to have to realize pretty quickly that Theis is capable of some things Rob can do, he just can’t do them quite as spectacularly.

“You get some of that with Daniel,” Udoka said before the game. “He doesn’t jump as high or get up as high, but he's a lob threat as well that brings a different shooting touch as well.”

This play is a great representation of what I’m talking about. 

This is supposed to be a lob. You can see Theis looking to make the jump, but the pass drops right at his feet. 

Not only is that a tough pass for a big guy to catch, especially in traffic, but it’s even harder when he’s expecting it up top and he’s the coiled spring ready to jump. 

The alley-oops have to be a bit more precise with Theis because he’s not going to be bailing anyone out with crazy catches. But they can still be lobs. Theis can’t duplicate Williams’ game, but he can do enough to still be a threat. 

He’s store brand cola to Rob’s Coca Cola. It’s not exactly the same, but you can still put your rum in it.

Don’t be afraid to let him go get some passes. 

- The late-game mishaps will be beneficial

Let’s not discount the value of this game film. For everyone involved, Smart included, getting this down on video for individual sessions will be extremely valuable. 

“To see them out there in crunch time situations is beneficial,” Udoka said. “It gets them that experience and as you saw, injuries happen and guys have to be ready.”

I think especially for someone like Grant Williams, who is really starting to expand his game, a close to a game like this will provide some great teaching tools and even offseason workout suggestions so he can come back next season with an expanded game. 

It’s easy to rely on the stars to get the job done, but other teams are going to make these guys try to beat them if possible. Going through something like the dropped pass at the end of regulation and working on the focus of those situations, or dribbling off his foot in overtime and working on tightening his handle, could be little things that help him eventually level up.