 | BOS Celtics | 118 | Final Box Score | 102 | TOR Raptors |  |
 D+ | P. McCaw32 MIN, 2 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 1-5 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -22 +/- McCaw was gifted a wide open 10 footer for his first shot of the game. He hesitated for a full 2 seconds before bricking it off the front of the rim. If you play 32 minutes, you’d hope to have more than 2 points, 3 boards and a cool -22 to show for it. May be the first and last time he gets 32 minutes in an NBA basketball game. | |
 B- | O. Anunoby25 MIN, 5 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-6 FG, 0-2 3FG, 1-2 FT, 2 BLK, 2 TO, -4 +/- When OG is aggressive in looking to create for himself, it breathes life into the Raptor’s offense, opening up looks for his teammates. He had the right idea today, looking to get his own shot early, but that dwindled away as the game progressed. | |
 B | S. Ibaka23 MIN, 12 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 6-9 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -11 +/- Ibaka made solid contributions while he was out there today. Did a great job of exploiting his mismatches and made the Celtics feel his presence on the glass. Felt like he could’ve had a much bigger impact if the ball had been swung to him at a higher clip. | |
 B+ | K. Lowry37 MIN, 14 PTS, 4 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL, 4-13 FG, 3-7 3FG, 3-4 FT, 1 BLK, 5 TO, -16 +/- Kyle came out with some swagger on Christmas morning, nailing his first 2 triples of the day. Unfortunately he went 2-11 for the rest of the game. Lowry spearheaded any mini-run the Raptors went on to get get back in this one with his passing and control of pace, but with so many key offensive pieces nursing injuries, his team needs his scoring more than ever. | |
 A | F. VanVleet37 MIN, 27 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST, 4 STL, 11-21 FG, 2-5 3FG, 3-3 FT, 0 BLK, 4 TO, -17 +/- As one of the “goodest” boys on the team, it came as no surprise that Freddy delivered us one of the best presents of any Raptor on Wednesday morning. He shot the ball well and with glee, passed it with more zip than Santa’s entire herd of reindeer, and made decisions with the wisdom and thought of St. Nick himself. Unfortunately his little elves did not mirror that performance. | |
 A+ | C. Boucher28 MIN, 24 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 7-10 FG, 3-4 3FG, 7-8 FT, 2 BLK, 0 TO, -5 +/- Boucher got bullied by Kanter down low early, but that turned out to be a the best present he could have asked for. Why? It woke him up. Boucher had a wonderful game, turning in a solid effort on the short roll, and making his giraffe-like presence around the rim felt on both ends of the floor. The Montreal native’s efficient performance was a shiny gift among myriad of coal-stuffed stockings under the Raptor’s Christmas tree. | |
 B+ | T. Davis22 MIN, 6 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 2-4 FG, 0-2 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -5 +/- I love Terrence Davis. He shows us something good and different every single game, and this afternoon was no exception. His off ball defense was splendid on Christmas day, and helped to spark some of the runs Toronto went on in an attempt to get back in it. | |
 B+ | R. Hollis-Jefferson18 MIN, 6 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 2-7 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-3 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -14 +/- Hustle. Heart. Energy. RHJ was the best defender wearing black (can we all agree it should have been red!?) and it wasn’t close. He is quickly becoming one of the easiest Raptors to root for. | |
 C- | M. Miller11 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 7 +/- To quote Raptor’s ex-head coach Sam Mitchell “zero, zero, zero, zero”. That’s just not gonna get it done Malcom. | |
 B | S. Johnson4 MIN, 6 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 3-4 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 1 +/- He only had 4 minutes, but I remembered all of them. Johnson was the one left standing after the Raps new bench guys played duck duck goose to figure out rotations, and he’s playing like he really wants to earn himself a chair. Sure, it was garbage time, but that type of effort doesn’t go unnoticed. | |
 Inc | O. Brissett3 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 6 +/- Merry Christmas to Brissett! Not much to say about his 3 minutes in this one. | |
 B | Nick Nurse Nurse did a good job late of running with different lineups in an effort to claw back, but he also put his team in a position to need to play a full court press with 5 minutes to go in the game. He played with fire, running out defensive schemes which left so many of Boston’s shooters open, and paid the price for doing so. | |
Things We Saw
- By packing the paint and relying on zone defense to spark offensive spurts throughout this game, Nick Nurse gave the Celtics a wonderful Christmas present: wide open threes. They made him pay for it and it was a large contributing factor to the margin of victory being as wide as it was.
- Toronto had some encouraging play in snippets, especially in the 2nd and 4th quarters. However, they did allow Boston to go on a 22-4 run and coughed up 7 turnovers in the first quarter alone. You can’t do that against a good team like the Celtics and expect to win. Somebody check those Gatorade coolers for rum and eggnog.
- Yeah, we got a nice Christmas spanking. But the fact that Toronto played a game on Christmas Day at home, means a great deal. NBA basketball is a tradition for so many of us and our families, and this year the Raptors got to be a part of that. I think that’s pretty awesome. Merry Christmas everyone.
