Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
The Top 5 Plays from the Celtics-Raptors Overtime Tilt
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From a pair of Jaylen Brown jumpers to Jayson Tatum's fancy footwork at the rim, Tatum putting Scottie Barnes in the spin cycle, and Sam Hauser's buzzer-beating three, here are the top five plays from Wednesday's overtime tilt between the Celtics and Raptors.
Jaylen Brown Shakes Free for Step-Back Jumper
The Celtics send Jayson Tatum and Al Horford up the floor to set high ball screens for Jaylen Brown on his left and right. Pascal Siakam takes Horford while Precious Achiuwa picks Brown up at the three-point line. Gary Trent Jr. fights over the screen, initially, but he switches onto Tatum.
Achiuwa's playing upright and bites hard on everything Brown throws at him, and when the latter lowers his shoulders and sells that he's driving to the hoop, Achiuwa again retreats. Brown dribbles between his legs, steps back, has plenty of space to get a clean shot off, then swishes a three from the left wing.
Sam Hauser Buries a Buzzer-Beating Three
Hauser starts in the right corner, cuts across the baseline as Malcolm Brogdon runs interference, and then the latter replaces him. Hauser then sets a back screen for Noah Vonleh, picking Thaddeus Young. With Siakam in the restricted area, worried about Brogdon's drive, and Young dropping as Vonleh dives to the rim, Hauser's left open for a three he buries at the buzzer.
Jayson Tatum Spins by Scottie Barnes for Two Points at the Rim
Horford's screen gets OG Anunoby off Tatum. Scottie Barnes is then waiting to pick him up at the three-point line. But Tatum's coming downhill with momentum, thanks to that open real estate, and Barnes ends up flat-footed, just for half a second.
That disadvantage leads to Barnes overreacting, trying to prevent Tatum from driving right, resulting in the latter spinning by him down the middle of the paint, then laying the ball in off the right side of the glass.
Tatum Gets Two Defenders for the Price of One Pump Fake
The play above was a part of a 10-2 Celtics run to close out the first half. Every basket except a pair of free throws by Brown came on a layup or dunk from him or Tatum.
Tatum getting Siakam and Achiuwa to bite on his second pump fake, combined with the fancy footwork that went into producing these two points, evoked oohs and ahhs from the TD Garden crowd.
Jaylen Brown Gets the Best of Gary Trent Jr.
Marcus Smart screens for Al Horford. Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. switch assignments. Barnes, seeing this, tells Trent Jr. to swap with him and goes to the low post, erasing a mismatch by the basket.
The problem is Trent's coming to guard Brown as the ball arrives. If you pause the clip at the seven second mark, you can see how poorly positioned and off-balance Trent is as Brown's ready to initiate his move.
Trent recovers quickly, flipping his hips and shading Brown to go middle. But when he lunges for a steal, Brown goes right, and while Trent does a good job contesting, Brown, who's already taller and in rhythm, has all the space he needs to drill this 23-foot jump shot.
Further Reading
Here's What Stood Out from Raptors' Overtime Win Over Celtics: Boston's Regulars Sharp at Both Ends
Blake Griffin Shares His Initial Impressions of New Celtics' Head Coach Joe Mazzulla
Top 5 Plays from Celtics Win vs. Hornets in Preseason Opener
Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' 134-93 Drubbing of Hornets in Preseason Opener
Marcus Smart Discusses Blake Griffin Signing, His Role as a Team Leader, and His Offseason Focus
Celtics Showing Interest in Multiple Former Head Coaches (Report)
