Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Here's What Stood Out in the Celtics' Win vs. the Raptors: Boston's Second Unit Fuels Ninth-Straight Victory
There were two developments that stood out above the rest in the Celtics' 106-104 win against the Raptors on Saturday.
Boston's second unit was outstanding. The visiting bench outscored Toronto's 62-14.
The Celtics were already working shorthanded, playing without Jayson Tatum. As the game unfolded, three starters left and did not return.
Robert Williams initially stayed in after Jaylen Brown crashed into his left knee -- yes, his surgically repaired knee -- resulting in him hyper extending it.
Boston ruled him out at halftime. Fortunately, Joe Mazzulla said post-game, "it's nothing serious, just obviously taking precaution; he felt good coming off the court."
And with less than ten seconds left in the first half, Marcus Smart went down with a non-contact ankle injury. The team declared him out for the second half with a right ankle sprain.
Mazzulla said on the heels of the Celtics' ninth-straight victory, "X-rays were negative, so it's just a matter of how he's able to cope with it day-to-day."
And in the final frame, the visitors lost Derrick White for the game after he took a knee to the leg while driving downhill in the fourth quarter.
Fortunately, Mazzulla also said that White's ok.
With the injury updates out of the way, it's time for a deep dive into what stood out in each quarter of the Celtics' nail-biting 106-104 win north of the border.
Turnovers an Issue, but Brown and Brogdon Keep the Game Close in the First Frame
Two days removed from rallying for an emotional and draining overtime win against the Warriors and playing without Jayson Tatum, Boston wasn't producing positive results to start the game. But the Celtics weren't playing sluggishly, either.
Still, with shots only dropping for the hosts, Toronto jumped out to a 9-2 lead.
As the Raptors' quick start unfolded, in a concerning moment, Jaylen Brown ripped the ball from Precious Achiuwa in the low post; as he began heading up the court, his momentum sent him crashing into Robert Williams' knee.
Williams went down, then started moving gingerly, and Brown reached for the back of his leg while on the ground, but fortunately, both stayed in the game and appeared ok.
What came next was Brown ripping off eight-straight points, including an old-school three-point play where he got Gary Trent Jr. to bite on an up-and-under, then demonstrated a soft touch as he finished through contact.
But Toronto countered with an 11-2 run fueled by Boston's turnovers. That burst included five points from Scottie Barnes, who buried a three from the right slot and turned an errant pass by Grant Williams into a pull-up jumper, putting the hosts ahead 21-12.
The Celtics committed four turnovers in the first 12 minutes, leading to nine points for the Raptors.
A Malcolm Brogdon floater off two feet prevented the visitors' field goal-less drought, mostly a product of not taking care of the ball, from reaching 3:30 and kept Boston within nine, 25-16.
It also sparked a 12-2 Celtics run to end the first frame.
Starting with his floater, Brogdon provided seven of those, while Brown chipped in five, including burying a three off the catch to trim the deficit to 27-26 entering the second quarter.
Brown played the entire period, registering 13 points, leading all scorers.
Raptors Raise Their Energy in the Second Quarter
Grant Williams registered eight-straight points for the visitors, drilling consecutive corner threes from opposite sides, then attacking off the catch from the left wing, challenging Juancho Hernangomez, and finishing with an underhanded layup.
That production gave Williams ten points and Boston a 38-34 edge.
But shortly after that came another stretch of struggling to score as Toronto raised its energy, outpacing the Celtics 9-2, including a three by O.G. Anunoby and a finger roll in transition by Achiuwa, giving the Raptors a 45-43 advantage.
With the hosts continuing to clamp down defensively and Pascal Siakam leading the charge, Toronto followed that up with a 12-2 run. Siakam provided eight of those, uncorking a pair of step-back mid-range jumpers and drilling a pull-up from 20 feet.
Those two runs propelled the hosts to a 57-50 lead at halftime.
In a concerning moment hanging over this game, Marcus Smart went down with a non-contact injury as he curled around a Horford screen with 9.1 seconds left in the second quarter.
Smart screamed as he fell to the floor. The Celtics' training staff checked on his ankle, then helped him to the locker room as Smart had his arms around their shoulders, putting nearly no weight on his right foot.
During halftime, Boston ruled Smart out due to a right ankle sprain. The Celtics also declared Robert Williams out because of a hyperextended left knee stemming from the play where Brown crashed into him.
Brogdon Leads Celtics, but Siakam Stays Hot, Keying Toronto in the Third Frame
Luke Kornet, who didn't play in the first half, started in Williams' place. Brogdon filled in for Smart.
Kornet quickly made an impact, denying Achiuwa at the rim.
He also tipped in a missed three by Horford, pulling the Celtics within five, 66-61, prompting Nick Nurse to take a timeout.
But after getting hot in the second quarter, Siakam stayed in rhythm in the third, scoring 12 points, more than anyone else in the period, torching Boston with fadeaway jumpers and producing eight points from deep in the paint.
With the Celtics missing one of their starting big men, Joe Mazzulla called Blake Griffin's number with 3:38 left in the frame.
Brogdon, who played nearly the entire quarter, staying in the game for 11:27, was excellent, pacing Boston with 10 points, including a pair of threes.
His production fueled a 16-0 advantage in second-unit scoring in the third period.
However, even with the Celtics outpacing the Raptors 31-28 in the quarter, it was the latter holding an 85-81 lead entering the final frame.
Boston at Its Best in the Final 12 Minutes
The Celtics got off to an ideal start to the final frame as Payton Pritchard found Brown for a corner three, then drilled one of his own.
After that, Griffin stripped Chris Boucher, then dove to the floor to corral the loose ball. At the other end, Derrick White sent a skip pass to Grant Williams for a three from the right wing, giving Boston a 90-85 lead.
At that juncture, the visiting bench was outscoring the hosts' second unit 51-10.
With less than nine minutes to go, Derrick White got kneed by Siakam as he attacked downhill. That knocked him out of the game, but afterward, Joe Mazzulla said White's ok.
With 5:53 remaining, Pritchard buried a three from 27 feet, giving the Celtics a 101-93 lead.
At that point, he was 3/3 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter. Plus, he had the previously mentioned assist on that corner triple by Brown at the beginning of the frame.
But Toronto responded, raising its energy and ripping off a 10-2 stretch, including a pair of threes off the catch from Gary Trent Jr. His second one tied the game at 103 with 2:23 left.
Pritchard stopped the bleeding, burying another three, this one from the right wing off a feed from Brown, putting Boston on top, 106-103, with 1:30 to play.
In a chaotic sequence, after getting a stop with 21 seconds left, under pressure in front of the right sideline, Pritchard lofted a gift-wrapped interception.
Williams got the wind knocked out of him while defending Trent, taking an elbow from the latter. After Trent failed to convert on the layup, Williams bent over, then fell to the hardwood, trying to catch his breath.
With the moment unfolding fast, Mazzulla must not have seen Williams go down because, with the Raptors pressing, the Celtics needed to utilize one of their final two timeouts.
Fortunately for the visitors, on the ensuing play, Horford stripped Siakam, preventing him from getting a shot up. It led to an incorrect ruling from the officials, who called for a jump ball, despite a tie-up never occurring.
Understandably, Nick Nurse was heated when told he could not challenge it. If he could've, Toronto would've received a baseline inbounds.
It took two jump balls, largely thanks to Horford wrestling for the rock with Scottie Barnes, but he won the second one, and Brown secured the possession for the visitors.
But before even getting the ball in, an offensive foul on Williams, gave the Raptors life.
Fortunately for the Celtics, Horford came to the rescue again. Siakam lost his balance as he rejected a Thaddeus Young screen. Then, as the former tried to fend off Brown and spun away from him, with the ball exposed, Horford stripped the rock from Siakam to deny Toronto a last look.
Boston's bench outscored the Raptors' 62-14 in the visitors' 106-104 win.
Williams registered a new regular season career-high with 25 points; Brogdon finished with 23 and 7 rebounds. And Pritchard produced 12, all in the fourth quarter. Griffin and Kornet also provided valuable minutes off the bench.
And with only half of the Celtics star tandem available, Brown delivered a team-high 27 points, pairing it with eight rebounds and seven assists.
And while Horford's traditional box score figures, headlined by five points and seven rebounds, don't jump off the page, as this article aimed to capture, he made some of the most meaningful plays in this game, including in the final minute, helping Boston prevail.
Up Next
The Celtics take their second trip to Orlando for their regular-season series finale against the Magic on Monday. The game tips off at 7:00 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and afterward. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
The Top 5 Plays from Thursday's Celtics-Warriors Game
Celtics Reportedly Looking for Players in Very Specific Range Ahead of NBA Trade Deadline
Western Conference Rival Reportedly has Shown Trade Interest In Celtics Guard Payton Pritchard
What Would it Cost the Celtics to Acquire Jakob Poeltl, and Should they Pay it?
