Everything you need to know about the Celtics' win over the Raptors, with BSJ insight and analysis.
IN A NUTSHELL
Sam Hauser led an offensive explosion that grew the lead as high as 12 early on, but the Raptors were hot too, and they cut it to three early in the second. They took a lead halfway through the quarter, but then Anfernee Simons got going, and Boston led by eight at halftime. Payton Pritchard helped push it to 20, but a Raptors run cut it to 11 going into the fourth. They got it down to six, but the Celtics went on one more run to put it away.
HEADLINES
- 2-point barrage: The Celtics shot well from 3, but they didn’t take a ton. The 28 is the lowest this season by far (previous 33 vs. Orlando twice) and one of the lowest outputs in the Joe Mazzulla era.
“At the end of the day, versus the coverages that we're playing against, we have to take the shots that are there,” Mazzulla said. “But you're also playing against a team that really pressures, and I thought our speed, especially in the first half, I thought our guys handling the ball did a great job. I thought our bigs did a great job setting screens, but I thought we just combated their pressure by opening up driving lanes.”
- Hot shooting: Both teams started hot, but the Celtics kept it up all game long, finishing 53.4% overall, 50% from 3, and 89.5% from the line. Hauser shot 70%, Pritchard shot 63%, Derrick White shot 50%.
- Simons big off the bench again: He’s been on a nice roll lately, averaging 17.2 points per game on 54.4% shooting, including a whopping 62.2% from 3 over his last five games. He’s now shooting 41% from deep this season
TURNING POINT
The game changed on Boston’s 25-8 run in the third that turned a three-point game into a 20-point game. The Raptors were never able to get it back to even after that. The Celtics put the game away with a 12-3 run late in the fourth quarter.
THINGS I LIKED
- Anfernee Simons: The Celtics' bench was a weakness earlier this season, but Simons has changed that. He had 15 points and five assists in this game, but afterward, Mazzulla made sure to praise his work on the other end of the floor.
“I thought his defense was good in the second half,” he said. “I love the role that he's in, because he comes in and it's another guy that can play-make for us, another guy that can score for us. But again, I like the fact that he takes pride in his defense. He wants to get better every night.”
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