Jayson Tatum made the tying and go-ahead free throws with 25.2 seconds remaining as the Boston Celtics overcame a 22-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 98-93 on Wednesday night, extending their winning streak to five games.
Tatum finished with 24 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds as Boston improved to 10-2 on the season.
Derrick White added 19 points and seven assists for the Celtics, while Payton Pritchard scored 14 points. Neemias Queta chipped in 11 points and 13 rebounds as Boston improved to 4-0 against Atlantic Division opponents.
Toronto raced out to a 19-point lead in the first quarter, building a margin that reached 22 points before the Celtics mounted their comeback. Ja’Kobe Walter led the Raptors with 17 points, including five three-pointers, while rookie Allen Graves added a career-high 13 points off the bench. RJ Barrett recorded 12 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists as the Raptors dipped below .500 for the first time this season at 5-6.
The Raptors matched a franchise record by making 10 three-pointers in the opening quarter, finishing the period 10-for-18 from beyond the arc. Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic discussed the team’s perimeter volume after the game.
“I think the film is really going to show us the standard of play that we’re going to play,” Rajakovic told Raptors HQ.
Toronto attempted 43 three-pointers on the night, making 16 of them for 37 percent shooting. Rajakovic addressed the shot selection following the loss.
“We took 43 threes, that’s a good number,” Rajakovic told Raptors HQ. “I still think there were a couple more situations that we could make better decisions.”
Toronto played without all-stars Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard. Barnes missed his third game with a strained left groin, while Leonard missed his ninth straight game as he recovers from swelling in his left knee, though Rajakovic noted before the contest that Leonard is progressing well with individual conditioning.
After shooting 12-for-26 from three-point range in the first half, the Raptors managed only 32 points in the second half. Boston’s defense forced Toronto into difficult late-clock push-shots from Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and Immanuel Quickley that largely rimmed out.
This plays represents what Celtics Basketball is all about making it tonight’s @JetBlue Play of the Game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/gpCKvNpM2n
The Raptors visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. The Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
10 TRIPLES IN THE FIRST FOR TORONTO 👌 THAT TIES A FRANCHISE RECORD FOR THE MOST THREES IN A QUARTER IN THE PLAY-BY-PLAY ERA! pic.twitter.com/fv0WcSzJ3C
Related reading