Final: Celtics 104, Raptors 88 - C's pull ahead early, hold on for first home win

Game 11: Celtics (4-6) vs. Raptors (6-5)
TD Garden
7:30 PM, NBC Sports Boston 

PROJECTED STARTERS

BOSTON: Dennis Schroder, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Robert Williams

TORONTO: OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent, Jr., Fred VanVleet

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

- Jaylen Brown remains out with a right hamstring strain. Khem Birch (right knee swelling) is doubtful and Yuta Watanabe (left calf strain) is out. 

- Toronto is fourth in the NBA in transition points per game (23)

- Boston is favored by 3

GOING A LITTLE DEEPER

- This is a measuring stick game. 

Yes, it’s early, and that has to be taken into account, but the big story of this past week has been Boston’s defensive improvements. All of those areas happen to be Toronto’s strengths.

"They're one of the more physical, aggressive teams,” Ime Udoka said earlier this week. “They're one of the top offensive rebounding teams. They'll really junk it up. They're one of the top transition teams offensively, isolation teams, I think third overall. So we gotta be ready to guard as far as that."

The Celtics were outclassed the first time Toronto visited the TD Garden. They outworked the Celtics and it resulted in a blowout win. No matter which players are out there, the Raptors are going to put forth effort, and they’re going to get creative. 

“They’re not the biggest team, but they make up for it with shift help, team defense and they’re one of the best at it,” Udoka said. “It’s a good measuring stick just from an energy standpoint playing against these guys. It’s all about effort, energy, and randomness. We didn’t handle it well the last time. I felt like it was our worst effort game, so we’re looking forward to it tonight.”

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1. Pascal Siakam’s impact: Siakam is back from his shoulder injury with one game under his belt. Toronto knows who they are and what they want to do, and Siakam has been a part of that for a while, but there are still timing issues to work through as he goes through what will basically be a preseason this month. 

“Add Siakam back in the mix but they're a well-balanced team,” Udoka said. “We have to have our attention on him, as well. I think they've got four guys averaging 15 points, so they're well-rounded. It's going to be a good challenge, good test for us."

2. Jayson Tatum vs. the blitz: Without Brown, the defensive focus for Toronto is going to lean heavily towards Jayson Tatum and getting the ball out of his hands. 

There is a balance that needs to be struck with Tatum in these situations. He does, indeed, have to draw those double teams and entice them to chase him even further out towards half court so when he does give it up, the rest of his teammates have more room to work. 

However, that also takes him out of the play, which is what Toronto wants. So Tatum has to either be put in situations to catch on the move, or make his move, before the double comes.

“The one thing he was doing was making some quicker decisions (against Dallas),” Udoka said. “We tell him every time he holds the ball, it's a chance for them to load up and double and possibly get it out of his hands. So he was making some quicker decisions overall, but the shots he made were the shots he's been making his whole career and once he got confident and got going, he was stepping into threes doing what he does.”

Tatum standing and surveying the land will get him in trouble. If he can make those quick decisions, then he can get into the paint and really disrupt the Raptors defense.

3. Al Horford vs. the zone: The Celtics have been known to have issues against zone defenses, which is a staple of the Raptors repertoire. Horford helps the Celtics destroy that defense by very comfortably operating in the middle of it. It’s prime zone-busting real estate, and if Horford can effectively control it, it can help neutralize a big part of Toronto’s defense.

GAME THREAD

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