Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Weather the Storm to Prevail vs. Raptors
Outside of a dominant second quarter, where the Celtics outscored the Raptors 39-17, Boston was far from its best in Friday night's in-season tournament game at Scotiabank Arena.
Most notably, that included Toronto staging a 16-6 run in a third quarter that the hosts made 65 percent of their shots, putting 32 points on the board to the visitors 19.
That early burst after halftime turned the rest of the matchup into a slugfest.
But while the Celtics spent most of the final 24 minutes searching for their offense, their defense held the Raptors to 24 points in the final frame.
And while the C's only managed to match that output, from Kristaps Porzingis punishing switches with consecutive baskets down low to Jrue Holiday finding Derrick White on a kick-out pass to the far-side corner, leading to a three that proved the game-winning basket, Boston controlled the game at both ends in the final two minutes.
The Celtics, already sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings, improve to 10-2 to start the 2023-24 campaign. They're also 2-0 in the in-season tournament. As the only team in Group C yet to lose, they now control their destiny when it comes to advancing past group play.
Now, a deep dive into what stood out in Boston's 108-105 victory north of the border on Friday.
1. It was clear from the start the Raptors were motivated by what happened last Saturday at TD Garden, where they got steamrolled 117-94. Joe Mazzulla's decision to challenge a call near the end of that game, agitating Toronto's head coach, Darko Rajaković, likely added more fuel to the fire.
A 7-2 run in the early going helped the hosts build a 24-16 lead. And between nine points from Gary Trent Jr., eight from Pascal Siakam, and the Celtics making just 4/16 (25 percent) of their threes, the Raptors took a 32-29 advantage into the second quarter.
2. But Siakam picked up three fouls in the first frame. Sam Hauser's finding his rhythm from beyond the arc, burying 2/4 threes he hoisted in the initial 12 minutes, also hurt the hosts.
One of the sharpshooter's long-range makes was a prime example of Boston's ball movement being at its best. Payton Pritchard pushed it up the floor; the rock quickly swung around the perimeter, and Hauser then dished it inside to Kristaps Porzingis in the low post.
As the former Virginia Cavalier relocated after delivering the entry pass, his defender, Jalen McDaniels, went to double team Porzingis. That left Hauser wide open to collect a kick-out pass and knock down a three in a textbook example of inside-out basketball.
3. The Celtics locked in defensively in the second quarter, with their rotations silencing Toronto's offense.
There was also Porzingis emphatically denying Chris Boucher at the rim. And with the visitors doing a great job contesting shots, the hosts made only 28.6 percent of their attempts in the second period, including just 3/11 (27.3 percent) from three-point range.
4. That fueled a 16-5 run and a 15-3 close to the frame. Boston capped the latter in style with Jrue Holiday coming off a Jaylen Brown pick, spinning into the paint, then delivering a no-look dish to Derrick White. The latter kicked the ball out to Jayson Tatum, who drilled a three to beat the halftime buzzer.
That put the C's on top 65-49 at the break. They had three starters score in double-figures, with Tatum matching former teammate Dennis Schroder with 13 points, pacing all participants. Brown and Holiday put 12 on the board.
5. The chemistry Brown and Porzingis are quickly cultivating was also on display.
The latter is helping elevate the former's impact as a facilitator, allowing him to make simple reads in the pick-and-roll. He also represents an effective option to get the ball to in the post, someone Brown can dish to down low when he drives, and a knockdown shooter he can swing it to for a three.
"I tell KP all the time, 'I'm going to you early; I'm looking for you early,'" Brown told Inside The Celtics in a conversation discussing how the seven-foot-three center is helping him improve as a playmaker for his teammates.
"Get him feeling well because we need him on defense, too, as well as offense. He's important to everything that we got going over here. So, I'm going to make sure to get him going."
6. Along with the Brown-Porzingis tandem's impact and three starters scoring in double figures, Hauser chipped in 11 points off the bench in an excellent first-half performance. He converted on 3/6 threes, 4/7 shots, and threw down this fast-break dunk.
7. But the Raptors were on fire from beyond the arc after halftime, fueling a 16-6 run to pull within six, 71-65.
That brought the building to life and gave Toronto an energy injection. The hosts stayed hot throughout the period, making 65 percent of their shots, including 4/8 threes.
Siakam led all scorers with 11 points in the quarter, while no one on Boston reached double-digits.
Four turnovers didn't help the visitors' cause either. Those giveaways played a role in the Raptors producing 16 points in the paint to the Celtics' six.
Still, the C's took an 84-81 lead into the game's last 12 minutes.
8. But an early 7-0 run by Toronto, including a Scottie Barnes three, put the hosts on top 88-86 with 9:06 left.
From there, it was a low-scoring slugfest. Both teams produced only 24 points in the period.
But whether it was Porzingis capitalizing on mismatches down low or Holiday taking Schroder into the low post, attracting Derrick White's defender, Gary Trent Jr., followed by Brown cutting into the paint, taking Siakam with him, leaving the former Colorado Buffalo open for a corner three, the Raptors struggled to get stops down the stretch.
After that three by White to put his team ahead 106-103, Boston shut down a Raptors possession that ended with a long-range miss by Barnes. Holiday then calmly stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to help seal a 108-105 win that gives the Celtics control of its destiny as the only team in Group C that hasn't lost an in-season tournament game.
9. In a concerning moment at the end of the matchup, as the C's were inbounding the ball with less than ten seconds left, Brown lost his footing, which happened to players on multiple occasions in Friday's contest.
He walked gingerly to the bench, with trainers coming onto the court to check on him. Inside The Celtics will have updates on his status, starting with what Joe Mazzulla says at his post-game press conference.
10. Next, the Celtics travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies. Unfortunately, after suffering a left ankle injury, Marcus Smart will not play. The expectation is he's out for three to five weeks, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Further Reading
Celtics Discuss Significance of Rivalry Win vs. 76ers for No. 1 Seed in East
Joe Mazzulla Discusses Keys to Celtics Second-Half Turnaround in Win Over 76ers
Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Beat 76ers in Their Best Win of Young Season
Joe Mazzulla Believes Celtics' Second Unit is 'Starting to Develop an Identity'
Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Chemistry with Jaylen Brown: 'I Love Playing with Him'
Joe Mazzulla Shares What's 'Far Exceeded My Expectations' of Kristaps Porzingis
Jaylen Brown on Celtics Learning from Losses and Building Chemistry: 'It's a Learning Curve'
Kristaps Porzingis Gives Glimpse of How He'll Boost Celtics Late-Game Offense
Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present
