Quick Reaction: Raptors 118, Celtics 120

Efficient night, sure. Impactful? Not for the most part. OG Anunoby caught a great lob pass from Barnes for the team’s first basket, and that was basically the only memorable thing from him tonight until the fourth quarter when he got a couple of stops against Jaylen Brown. That was after Brown torched Anunoby and the Raptors practically all game up to that point, finishing with 31 points on 11-16 shooting.

Pascal Siakam was cooking in this game. It truly was a disservice to him that the team didn’t feed him the ball more or at least earlier given how many mismatches he had in the post with shorter players like Payton Pritchard or Derrick White guarding him. It was a good thing that when he did get the ball in his hands he made sure to be aggressive and look to score. Siakam continues to capitulate to the team’s new style of play even though things could be a lot simpler.

Jakob Poeltl was solid, making the most of his advantages in the paint against a Celtics team that lacked much size without Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. Unfortunately for him, the team didn’t seem to want to work the ball into the paint, otherwise he might’ve had a bigger game. By no means was he perfect though as he got lost on a handful of defensive possessions, and like many times this season, the team decided to keep him on the bench down the stretch in an attempt to be more mobile on that end.

It was looking like a good start to this one for Gary Trent Jr. He drilled his first shot of the game from beyond the arc and then drew an offensive foul from Jaylen Brown. However, things quickly spiraled out of control for GTJ after that as his shot went cold. He made just one of his next nine shots. The hope was that getting the soon-to-be UFA into the starting lineup, it would spark his game out of the disappointment it’s been to this point…that notion lasted all of one game…and it was against the Wizards.

It’s become a common theme that when the Raptors have gone down big early (it happens a lot), Scottie Barnes is the one to put the team on his back to try and carry them out of said deficit. He struggled early in this one but didn’t let his slow start deter him. After starting 0-3 from downtown he knocked down a career-high seven triples the rest of the way. Maybe a little too trigger-happy with a career-high in three-point attempts (15), but when he’s hitting it at such a clip, who cares? “It’s not like we have Steph Curry on the bench,” is what Darko Rajakovic said after the team lost to the Utah Jazz. He’s right, they got him in the starting lineup…in a 6’10 frame…too far?

One of the major draws for Dennis Schröder going to the bench, aside from more spacing for the starters, was his ability to steady the bench unit. Against the Wizards, that was looking like the case. Against the Celtics? It was looking like the Spiderman meme with Schröder and Flynn pointing at each other…through most of the game at least. The bench looked hapless with the German guard at the helm, but he made his mark when the team needed it most. He drilled two threes in the fourth and gave the team their first lead since the first quarter. A much-needed spark and he remained a calming presence the rest of the way, enough that it earned him the right to be on the floor in the closing minutes. Yes, missing one of two free throws in the final seconds was tough, but it doesn’t dismiss the fact that he was vital in their comeback run.

Chris Boucher hit a three to stop some of the early bleeding in the first and provided a nice spark. Heard that a lot this season. He didn’t hit a shot after that and was kept off the floor the rest of the game after subbing out. Heard that a lot too.

Hard to gather anything out of Otto Porter Jr.’s spot minutes. He took a sidestep three at the end of the first quarter, a somewhat ridiculous shot for a vet of his caliber to take. Granted the clock was winding down, but you’d expect a guy known for making solid decisions to try and get a better look. That’s about all there was to point out.

It was looking like Jalen McDaniels was about to put up his 11th scoreless game of the season, but then the fourth quarter happened. He splashed a three and then made back-to-back layups that helped the Raptors cut a lead that was once up to 16 down to just three. Was that McDaniels’ most impactful sequence of plays all season? Definitely his most impactful quarter of the season either way. McDaniels’ first double-digit scoring game as a Raptor!

Garbage time.

Like last game, with Schröder now on the bench, Malachi Flynn’s role was reduced to spot minutes. Nothing to note from his time on the floor.

This was going to be A LOT different for Darko Rajakovic had the Raptors not mounted that late comeback. Pregame Rajakovic said “I thought we had some success playing against Boston (last time), getting some early post ups and creating some advantages…” He then proceeded to let his team shoot more threes (44) than the best three-point shooting team in the league , the Celtics. The offensive game plan for basically the entire game made no sense, and if that wasn’t the plan, he should’ve corrected it much sooner. Things somehow looked uglier on defence as the Raptors put forth a masterclass in ole defence for three quarters. Thankfully for him (or in spite of him, who knows), the squad buckled in defensively for the final frame as they mounted a comeback.