Final: Celtics 106, Raptors 104 - Horford, bench step up to steal game for injury-riddled C's

Game 47: Celtics (-1) at Toronto Raptors, 5:00 p.m., Scotiabank Arena, NBCS Boston

Injuries: 

Boston: OUT- Danilo Gallinari, Jayson Tatum (wrist/rest)

Toronto: OUT- Otto Porter (foot). QUESTIONABLE- Dalano Blanton (hip)

Raptors probable starters: Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent, Jr., Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam

Refs: Ed Malloy (#14), Michael Smith (#38), Dannica Mosher (#89)

Last time they played: Celtics 116, Raptors 110, December 5 - Both teams went back and forth in a feel-out first quarter before the Raptors found some separation in the second quarter. The Celtics were frustrated by a lack of calls, but they hung around to go into the half down only 6. Tatum had a monster third quarter, Marcus Smart did Marcus Smart things, and Jaylen Brown had a spectacular fourth to get the lead up to 13. Toronto went on a late run to get it close, but the C’s were able to hold on.

“When we put our minds to it, we can beat anybody, and it's just ... it’s a choice that we got to make,” Tatum said after a win I characterized as the best of the season to that point. “We can make any excuse -- we had two guys out. Four guys out, actually, second night of a back-to-back, we could have just chalked this one up. But we wanted to figure it out. We got a bigger goal in mind. It's one game at a time, but these are the steps you got to take to get there.”

A little something about this game: The Raptors have lost three of four games heading into this matchup, starting with a home loss to the Hawks and road losses to the Bucks and Timberwolves. VanVleet might be starting to break out of his long funk, shooting 36.7% from 3 after 30% in December. He’s scored 25, 39, and 33 points in his last three games. The same can be said for Barnes, who has put up 29, 14, 26, 27, and 21 in his last 5 games. He is still struggling a lot from 3, shooting 28.8% on the season.

How the Celtics win: The Raptors play slow (26th in the NBA in pace), and without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics should focus more on running off Raptors misses (they miss a lot of shots). They are a middle of the road defensive team in transition, and with more offensive focus on Brown, Boston’s best bet is to get out and run as much as they can offensively. 

Defensively, I’m not going to say LET Scottie Barnes shoot 3 pointers, but I’m saying anyone who flies past him on a closeout or bites on any shot fakes from him should be fined. Help off him and make VanVleet’s life more difficult when possible and don’t worry about his shooting. 

How the Raptors win: VanVleet getting hot will go a long way. Without Tatum, the Celtics have to be aware of Siakam having a big game. If they play through him getting to the paint, the Raptors might just have a good shooting night. Defensively, their junky zone defenses could throw the Celtics off just enough to keep this thing close and close it out at the end.

Things I’m looking for:

- Jaylen Brown getting back on track: He was definitely forcing things a little too much to start the game on Thursday night. After settling in late and making a few shots, let’s see if he’s more comfortable to start this one. Also, without Tatum, he might feel very assured of getting all the shots he wants, so he might be more patient to start the game. 

- Sam Hauser’s opportunity: This feels like a chance for him to get back into rhythm. If the Celtics are running like they should, there will be transition 3-pointer opportunities. I want to see him feel good about his shot again, and I want to see Joe Mazzulla let Hauser find it. Maybe he can call a couple of plays here and there, or even break his timeout strategy just once with Hauser in the game, to get specifically for him. 

- Keeping the Raptors cold: The Raptors in general are having a tough time shooting the ball. And when I say tough, I mean last in the NBA in effective field goal percentage tough. They are capable of so much more, but let’s not find out how capable by getting lazy at closeouts. They still need to be disciplined and crisp. Shot still need to be challenged. And any of those fake-effort closeouts that lead to flybys and put the rest of the team in rotation will be especially costly. 

The Raptors are a decent team having a bad season. Don’t poke the bear with lazy play. Keep them in their general malaise. 

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.