The Toronto Raptors stunned the Boston Celtics in a 110-97 win. RJ Barrett scored 22 points, while Scottie Barnes had 18. The Raptors were without Immanuel Quickley and the Celtics were fully healthy, which makes this loss appalling. Payton Pritchard was one of Boston’s only bright spots, with 20 points. It was a good win for Toronto, but more of an indictment on the poor play of the defending champions. The Raptors improved to 10-31 while the Boston Celtics fell to 28-12.
A Close First Half
The Boston Celtics have had an interesting series with the Raptors this season. Their first meeting went to overtime, ending on a buzzer-beater, and in their second meeting, Boston won by 54 points. Toronto came out motivated on their home court, taking a 15-5 lead. The Celtics got off to a slow start with cold shooting and sloppy turnovers. After a timeout, they cut into the lead with buckets from Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown. The offense found a rhythm, going on a 12-3 run. The Raptors held their lead for most of the quarter, but Boston eventually pulled in front. At the end of the first quarter, the Boston Celtics led 29-25. Porzingis had 8 points.
Chris Boucher has been on a hot streak, and he began to roll in the second quarter. His efforts helped the Raptors go on a 12-0 run, taking the lead back. Gradey Dick and RJ Barrett were scoring, and Toronto’s lead grew. They were hitting their shots and making timely cuts for easy baskets. Boston rebounded on a 7-0 run, taking the lead back with a Tatum three-pointer, but a string of bad turnovers gave the lead back to Toronto. They took a five-point lead in the final second of the half, but a three from Pritchard closed the gap. At halftime, the Boston Celtics trailed 55-53.
It was a great first half for the Raptors. Barrett led the way with 12 points, while Dick had 9. They were taking advantage of Boston’s careless mistakes and were getting good looks on offense. The Boston Celtics were having another game full of bad defense. Whether it is plain laziness or poor communication, the Celtics had a top defense last season and this year it is not the same. Porzingis and Pritchard had 13 points apiece, but Tatum and Brown were struggling. Tatum had 7 points on 2-of-9 shooting and Brown had 4, shooting 2-of-8.
The Boston Celtics Collapse
Scottie Barnes started the second half hot, scoring four quick points. Threes from Porzingis and Tatum brought the Boston Celtics back, but Barrett continued to score, keeping the Raptors out front. Toronto went on a 14-3 run and their lead grew to eight. They began to dominate in the paint and Boston’s lack of defensive effort continued. Jakob Poeltl made easy work inside for buckets and the Celtics had no answer. The Raptors shot an excellent percentage in the quarter, barely missing. Through three quarters, Toronto led 88-82.
Barnes put the Raptors up by double digits in the fourth quarter. They went on another 7-0 run, extending their lead to 14. To make things worse, on top of their poor defense, the Celtics offense went through a cold stretch. Maybe it’s not a stretch because recently it seems like they’re always cold. Boston trailed by 12 with three minutes remaining, but the starters would not score another point. The Raptors upset the Boston Celtics 110-97.
Final Thoughts
This was the best win of the season for the Toronto Raptors. They improved to 10-31 with 22 points from Barrett, 18 from Barnes, and 16 from Poeltl. They also held the Celtics to under 100 points after giving up 125 in their first two meetings. The Boston Celtics dropped to 28-12. This is no longer a bad stretch; it’s just a dysfunctional team. Tatum, Brown, and White all had bad games. Pritchard was the only bright spot with 20 points off the bench.
The Boston Celtics have many players capable of good defense, but every game they either sleepwalk or are just plain bad on the defensive end. In their last three losses, they’ve been held under 100 points, which had not happened all season. Until they prove otherwise, they are not a good three-point shooting team, nor a good defensive team. At least not as good as everyone knows they can be. People can call it a rough patch, but championship teams do not look like this.
