Tough game. Irving put on his cape tonight. Did you know Jayson Tatum is only 14 years old?
 | Toronto | 116 | Final Box Score | 123 | Boston |  |
 B+ | P. Siakam39 MIN, 16 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 6-11 FG, 0-0 3FG, 4-6 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -2 +/- Always like seeing him getting opportunities as a pick n’ roll ball handler, and he beasted on the Celtics smaller players throughout the second-half. Really unfortunate call on Hayward at the end of the 4th. He was good, and he contributes in so many ways. | |
 B | K. Leonard43 MIN, 31 PTS, 15 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 11-25 FG, 0-3 3FG, 9-11 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 4 +/- Feels like a game where if he hits the game winner this is an A+, but right now it isn’t so. He was a thief tonight, and tremendous on the glass. His ISO tendencies don’t look that bad when he’s holding the Raptors up, but when the offense catches up it seems like a problem. Mixed bag. | |
 A | S. Ibaka34 MIN, 21 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 8-15 FG, 2-3 3FG, 3-3 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 4 +/- He’s still playing terrific basketball. One of the league’s best tertiary options. | |
 C+ | K. Lowry43 MIN, 14 PTS, 2 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL, 3-12 FG, 1-6 3FG, 7-8 FT, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 5 +/- Gritty game, and taking a lot of hits. The Celtics defense did a pretty terrific job of putting him in tough positions. No opportunities to shoot rhythm 3-pointers, and crowded when he went to the rim. Still, he’s a fighter and he played an important part in a very mobile defense that slowed the Celtics down for a time. | |
 A | D. Green30 MIN, 11 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 4-10 FG, 3-7 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 18 +/- Tough whistle for Green tonight. Individual defense was good, and his movement when the team was switching was stellar. His shooting catalyzed the offense early in the 2nd quarter and with the rest of the team struggling from deep he’s more important than ever. | |
 B+ | D. Wright26 MIN, 7 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 3-7 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -15 +/- His defense was superb tonight. Didn’t have his usual touch around the rim, but that three he hit was top-notch. He really stood out to me in this one, especially with another shoddy VanVleet performance. I liked this game a lot for Wright. | |
 F | F. VanVleet22 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0-6 FG, 0-6 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -21 +/- Still in a nasty funk. Having a lot of trouble creating any separation, and indecisive in his ‘pnr’ possessions. The jump-shot? I can’t say. He’s got good form, and he’s a good shooter. I’m sure it’ll come around, but in this game it’s backbreaking. Bad game for Fred, and that’s not rare as of late. | |
 C | J. Valanciunas19 MIN, 11 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 5-8 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-1 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, -13 +/- Played Baynes to a relative draw, which isn’t exactly what we want from him. He’s got the low minutes, which opens him up to unleash on teams in his time on the court. He should be relentless in games like this, and he’s still somewhat passive. | |
 B | O. Anunoby9 MIN, 5 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-3 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -15 +/- Still needs to work finesse into his game. I don’t trust his decision making with the floor in front of him. He did a good job converting in his more limited role. Sprained his right wrist during this one, and I would guess that it was when Irving mugged him going up to the rim. Feel bad for him, and the injury bug has been unrelenting this year. Hope it’s better soon OG! | |
 B+ | Nick Nurse Really liked his rotations in this one. Implemented the zone at good times in the game, and he’s not to blame for shooter’s being cold. Tough look for the “play” that was drawn up at the end of the 4th. He’s supposed to be a dynamic offensive coach, and I don’t think we’ve seen a lot of that. | |
Things We Saw
- Siakam’s ability to switch across every position does so much for the Raptors defense at the point of attack. He shut down a lot of the Celtics actions, and denied a ton of mismatches they were looking to get. This bodes well as the year goes on.
- The 3-point shooting is a huge problem. The Raptors are doing a terrible job of creating easy looks for shooters, limited they may be in that department. A lot of this falls on Leonard. His overall game is of course, great. His passing leaves a ton to be desired though. The ball in his hands isn’t generating a super smooth offense, it’s really stagnant. The Raptors can’t live and die by his ISO possessions, that’s not this teams ceiling.
- Irving did some great work tonight. He was in rare form, and there’s few teams in the league that have an answer. This version of Irving helped beat the 73-9 Warriors. He lifted the Celtics tonight, and it sucks for the Raptors.
