Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the Raptors, with BSJ insight and analysis.
IN A NUTSHELL
Payton Pritchard kept Boston close through some early team struggles, then the bench came in and whipped off a huge run to go up 12. The Raptors flipped that as Boston went cold, especially after the starters return, to lead by two at the half. Boston took that lead back thanks to a monster third quarter from Pritchard, and then Derrick White pushed it back into double digits in the fourth and Hugo Gonzalez helped shut the door.
HEADLINES
- A true team win: It started with Pritchard. Then Luka Garza gave Boston a ton of extra chances with his rebounding and hustle. Anfernee Simons had an important stretch. White got going at a critical time. Gonzalez was a monster late. Baylor Scheierman played some important minutes. Everyone chipped in.
- Pritchard goes off: You just knew he was going to bounce back after a rough game where he didn’t play in the fourth quarter. It’s easy to say the Celtics don’t win without a guy who scored 33, but Pritchard was a monster when the Celtics had little else working.
- Coaching gem: Joe Mazzulla pressed all the right buttons. He pulled Garza out of the scrap heap, and it was a perfect call. He has all these guys on the same page and ready for these games. The out-of-bounds plays mostly worked really well. Even the defense, which pushed the Raptors out to the 3-point line, ultimate worked after an early barrage.
TURNING POINT