BSJ Game Report: Celtics 121, Raptors 113 - C's win 5th straight after fourth quarter rally in Toronto

Everything you need to know about the Celtics' win over the Raptors, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

Jordan Walsh set the tone in the first with his defense, and then Derrick White handled the offense to put Boston up eight. They poured it on in the second, getting the lead to 18 and scoring 77 points at halftime. It was looking easy as the Celtics got it to 23, but Toronto went on a massive run to cut it to six heading into the fourth, and then flipping it to take a lead. The Celtics, though, answered down the stretch to put the game away

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Coming through in the clutch: The Celtics haven't exactly been the most clutch team this season, but they responded in a big way when the Raptors took the lead. White and Payton Pritchard each hit a couple of big 3s, Neemias Queta was grabbing every rebound, and the Celtics answered with a big run of their own to go back up double-digits. 

- Derrick White is back: It's only three games, but White is shooting 41.2% from 3 in December. He hit six more in this game, three of them after the Raptors took the lead. 

“He's got the ability to score at all three levels,” Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “He does a good job of recognizing matchups and coverages in real time when they're trying to change them there. I thought he was just steady tonight for us. He was big time.” 

- Five in a row and third seed: The Celtics are the hottest team in the East, and they have the league’s second-longest win streak. They’ve now won 10 of their last 12 games and even though this doesn’t matter on December 7, they are currently third in the East. Who thought this team would ever be able to say they were third? 

TURNING POINT 

The Celtics went on a 14-2 run, starting with White’s 3-pointer with 7:51 to play, to go from down three to up nine. And it wasn’t just any 3-pointer. He saved it from going out of bounds and spun into the shot. 

They pushed the lead to 12 with 72 second to go, which was enough to withstand another late flurry. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Answering Toronto’s run. They haven't been the most clutch team in the world, but they seem to be figuring some things out. Hitting shots helps, because this game was won down the stretch with 3-pointers from the two coldest starts on the team. They started out the season 2-5 in clutch games. Now they’ve flipped it to 5-2 in their last seven.

- Derrick White: Not only did he come through when the Celtics needed him most, he started things out with a big first quarter. He also blocked three shots and had five assists. 

- Jaylen Brown: He scored 30 points on 9-19 shooting, but he was 3-4 from 3 and the one he missed was a desperation shot. He was also 9-9 from the line and he grabbed eight rebounds. It wasn’t his loudest night, but he made some tough plays down the stretch. 

- Payton Pritchard: Just 12 shots but two of his three 3-pointers were in that 14-2 run to decide the game. He also plays such a physical game that he thrives in those mid-paint opportunities. No one in the NBA who has taken 50 or more non-restricted paint shots has better shooting percentage than Pritchard (64.2%)

- Neemias Queta: He started this game terribly, and I thought this was going to be the first game this season where he might revert back to last season and be unplayable. But he calmed down, had some nice offensive rebounds and finishes at the rim, and he closed the game by rebounding everything and preventing the Raptors from doing more damage. 

- Jordan Walsh’s start: He ended up getting into foul trouble and fouling out of this game, which is a lingering issue for him, but he started the game so incredibly that I don’t care. He was the best player on the floor during his first-quarter stint, and I don’t make that characterization lightly. He had three steals before the first timeout. It was incredible to watch. He also did this:

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Jamal Shead changing the game: It was so bad that Brian Scalabrine openly celebrated when Shead got subbed out. He led a Raptors charge of suffocating defense and getting out into transition to erase Boston’s lead. 

- The third quarter: Boston went into the half with only four turnovers for four Raptors points. They turned it over four times for seven points in the third alone. Not only did that help lead to a 12-0 Raptors advantage in fast break points, it helped Toronto shoot 65% in a quarter Boston only shot 36.4%. 

The defense definitely took the quarter off. After forcing eight first-half turnovers for eight points, Boston only turned Toronto over twice for zero points in the third.

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- The Celtics have earned this break in a big way

I’m so impressed with the way this team has responded to their own mistakes this season. They are making a ton of progress and growing before our eyes. 

I saw this stretch of the schedule as something they just needed to survive. I would have been happy with them going 3-4 through the Pistons, Timberwolves, Cavs, Knicks, Wizards, Lakers, Raptors stretch. Going 4-3 would have been amazing. They went 6-1 and weren’t too far off from 7-0. 

They managed the condensed schedule very well. Joe Mazzulla went to his depth and was happy to roll with whoever presented himself as a good option on that night. Now they get a few days off before taking on the Bucks and a few days off after that. 

They have earned themselves some time off their feet. Don’t even fly back to Boston tonight. They all have their passports on them, so take the team plane down to the Bahamas for a day off on the beach. 

I don’t care that that's not really possible. They’ve earned that and more.

Next Up: The Celtics visit Milwaukee on Thursday