The Celtics, briefly, regarded like they had been in uncommon bother on Monday night time in Toronto underneath all-too-familiar circumstances. A brutal begin to the third quarter, a interval that has been their Achilles’ heel this season, required a response.
As common, the Celtics had the solutions.
On an evening they didn’t have Jaylen Brown – who was out with a minor proper knee hyperextension – the Celtics acquired essential contributions throughout the board. Jayson Tatum led a dominant third-quarter surge, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday elevated their play on each ends and the Celtics lastly discovered a solution defensively. That led the best way for a powerful end because the C’s held off the feisty, new-look Raptors with a 105-96 victory.
The Celtics have now gained eight consecutive conferences in opposition to the Raptors as they swept the season collection once more.
White and Holiday every scored 22 factors as all 5 Celtics starters had been in double figures. White scored 10 factors within the fourth quarter, together with a back-breaking nook 3-pointer with 1:17 remaining that pushed away Toronto’s last rally to seal this victory, one which was fueled on the defensive finish.
The Celtics, regardless of main for almost all of the primary half, couldn’t discover separation regardless of the Raptors’ struggles from 3-point vary – they completed 4-for-32 from deep – and felt the wrath of that to start the third quarter. The Raptors, led by the newly acquired R.J. Barrett, punished the Celtics in transition and torched them within the paint to again an 18-5 run to place them up seven halfway by means of the third quarter.
But the C’s awoke on each ends. Defensively, they went to one in every of their curveballs by switching to a zone protection. Holiday and Al Horford led the cost defensively because the Celtics appeared to flummox the Raptors. Offensively, Tatum took over. He ignited the Celtics’ rally with a dunk, then tied the sport when Holiday discovered him back-door for an explosive three-point play on a dunk. The Raptors briefly retook the lead with a dunk from Pascal Siakam, however that’s all of the success they discovered to complete the third.
The Celtics, although they had been crushed in transition with 30 Raptors fast-break factors, stayed lively of their half-court protection and flourished in that third quarter as they responded with a dominant 18-2 run over the ultimate six minutes of the interval. Tatum scored 9 factors throughout that surge and completed the quarter with a pair of assists to place the Celtics up 9 getting into the fourth. They regained management of the sport behind their protection, even with out Brown.
In the fourth, the Celtics continued to reply each Raptors run. With Tatum on the bench to begin the ultimate interval, White led the second unit and scored seven minutes within the first three minutes earlier than Sam Hauser’s 3-pointer put the Celtics up 14. The Raptors responded with an 8-0 run, however Holiday – who had his most aggressive sport of the season offensively – answered with a pair of 3-pointers to revive the Celtics’ benefit.
The Raptors had one other 8-0 run because the Celtics’ offense went chilly for a couple of minutes, however the guests had what they wanted in a very powerful moments. Toronto had an opportunity to chop its deficit to 1 possession with lower than two minutes remaining, however Immanuel Quickley missed one other Raptors 3-pointer. On the following possession, Tatum drew a double group however discovered White within the nook, the place he easily set his toes and knocked down the game-sealing triple.
Source: www.bostonherald.com