The Boston Celtics, without Paul George, came out like a team playing their third game in four nights while the Raptors came out insanely hot from three to build a nine-point lead. That lead ballooned to 22 but the Celtics went on a 16-0 run and actually won the quarter by two to head into halftime down seven. The run extended to 21-2 and the Celtics briefly took a lead, but a late run kept Toronto up five heading into the fourth. The Raptors rebuilt a six-point lead, but Boston closed on a 15-4 run to finish the comeback and win it 98-93.

WHAT THE BOX SCORE TELLS YOU

- Tough shooting night: The Celtics shot 41.1% overall and 35% from three, which is not surprising at the end of a long trip and on a three-in-four. Nights like this are about surviving and figuring out how to win.

- Tatum still led the way: 24 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and 12 trips to the line. More on Tatum in the next section.

- Derrick White was huge: 19 points and seven assists was great, but four blocked shots was just massive. He was everywhere doing a bit of everything.

- Neemias Queta was impactful: He was +27 in a game in which Mitchell Robinson only played 11 minutes. He wasn’t good during a late stretch when the Boston lead was dwindling, but he was great down the stretch defensively and icing the game from the line.

WHAT THE BOX SCORE DOESN’T TELL YOU

- Tatum kept the C’s calm and under control: This was especially true early, when there was no panic in the team even as the lead was building to 22. This is the side of superstardom that people might not register, but it’s a massive part of being in his position.

It won’t all be 30-something-point scoring binges and huge highlights. Being a superstar means keeping the team together in spots like this and understanding that games aren’t lost in first quarters. And when the Celtics needed buckets down the stretch, he hit a big shot, found Queta for another, and got to the line. 

- The Raptors started super-hot, then got super-cold: The box score says Toronto shot 16-43. What you missed is them starting 12-20 out of the chute and then going 4-23 the rest of the way.  

- Derrick White started the comeback with a big blocked shot: In games like this, all it takes is one energy play to make a difference, and White made it in the second quarter. It was part of one of best sequences we’ll see all season

https://x.com/celticsclipss/status/2120686186167689411

That stretch included the Tatum four-point play, flagrant foul, Scheierman three-pointer that really helped swing the game. To go from down 22 to winning the quarter was a massive confidence boost.

- The defense found its groove just before halftime: The Raptors didn’t have a turnover until the 3:21 mark of the second quarter. It was one of three that turned into nine Celtics points by halftime, and then Boston added 10 more points on 12 Raptors turnovers in the second half.

- Celtics players are good at challenges: I don’t have an exact count, but I don’t think the Celtics have lost a challenge so far this season when Mazzulla has trusted his players before looking back to Matt Reynolds, who is normally in charge of okaying challenges. 

REVISITING THE PREVIEW

Here’s what I wrote before the game. Let’s see how I did.

“Rebounding: The Raptors love to do two things: Run and crash the glass. So that means the Celtics have to make sure they're clearing defensive boards. The Raptors are a bad isolation team and terrible in the half court. Make them play a slower game where there aren’t opportunities to slash through gaps and get putbacks.” 

The Celtics did none of this, really. They gave up 12 offensive boards and 18 fast break points. The only saving grace is that the offensive rebounds didn’t crush the Celtics. Toronto was only 4-15 on second chance attempts, and Boston ended up +4 in second chance points. 

“Help off Jamal Shead: He’s only shooting 27% from three, so if there's any help to be given, help off him without worrying too much about the result. That doesn’t mean dare him to shoot, but it does mean short closeouts and, maybe, a leakout to get some easy transition buckets when he misses.”  

They did do this a couple of times, so that was good discipline from them. Shead was 0-4 from three and there were a couple of empty Raptors possessions that involved Shead hesitating on open looks. 

“Lean on depth: Hugo Gonzalez, Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza, and Ron Harper Jr. all played 19 minutes or less. Lean on them to carry some of the workload against a team whose strength is uptempo basketball. I don’t expect the shots to fall like they did last night in Philly, but I can see good ball movement, good cuts, and attacking basketball to work for Boston.”

The ball movement was fine, but the depth thing wasn’t. Gonzalez played 8:25, and Garza started but only played 10:55 as Mazzulla abandoned the double-big idea. Hauser played his normal 24 minutes and was really good. He grabbed nine rebounds and got the game-clinching steal on an inbounds pass with :14 left in the game. 

Scheierman did get 29 minutes, though and was really good. He shot 3-5 from deep, grabbed seven rebounds, dished three assists, and got two steals and a block on the defensive end.

“Prediction: I’m tempted to call this a letdown game after the big emotional win in Philadelphia. The guys are tired, and sometimes when the end of a rough stretch is in sight, it’s easy to let down and have a rough night. But I’m going to give this group credit for being well-connected.The Celtics, even on tired legs, have what it takes to win, 103-94.” 

The Celtics struggled with their fourth-quarter shooting so it’s their fault I was wrong, not mine. Please make sure history documents this as me being right and Boston missing the shots I thought they’d make. 

I was only one point off the Raptors final score, though. Partial credit for me.