The Toronto Raptors (12-19) furious fourth-quarter rally erased a double-digit deficit but it was not enough for a victory as they fell 120-118 to the host Boston Celtics (25-6) on Friday night.
On the second night of a back-to-back, Boston led the game by as many as 20 points and went into the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead. However, they found themselves down 113-110 after Jalen McDaniels splashed a triple (yes you read that right) with just 2:38 left in the game.
Toronto finally decided to buckle down defensively, after giving up 99 points through three quarters on over 50 per cent shooting. They chose to go without a traditional centre, opting for McDaniels at the five, and the small ball lineup got multiple stops and began the final frame on a 23-8 run.
Alas, the Raptors ran out of gas. They managed to make just one field goal in the final two minutes and missed a couple of free throws at the end as they lost their seventh consecutive game to the Celtics.
The usual suspects Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam led Toronto on the night. Barnes put up 31 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. The most notable part of his performance was three-point shooting as Barnes made a career-high seven triples on a career-high 15 attempts.
Despite starting 0-3 from downtown he kept letting it fly and the confidence was evident. No wonder he leads his team in three-point shooting at 39.5 per cent. His ascension as a capable shooter from beyond the arc continues to be a plus point of an otherwise underwhelming season for the Raptors.
Siakam racked up 27 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Outside of Barnes, he was the team’s only other reliable offensive option for the majority of the game. He was being defended by shorter players all night, and despite the Raptors inexplicably missing him on a handful of advantageous looks, he still made the most of his opportunities when he got the ball.
Although, Siakam did attempt just one field goal in the fourth quarter. Whether that was bad execution by the coaching staff or deferral by the forward is for fans to speculate over.
The aforementioned McDaniels is also worth mentioning for his best performance as a member of the Raptors. He put up a season-high 13 points off the bench for his first double-digit scoring game since joining the squad. All of his buckets came in the Raptors late rally as he scored eight of the team’s first 10 points in the fourth quarter.
On the other side, the Celtics despite missing two starters in Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis, along with the veteran Al Horford, still managed to find plenty of offence. Jaylen Brown returned after a one-game absence and torched the Raptors for 31 points and 10 rebounds on 11-16 shooting. It’s his sixth consecutive game of 20-plus points against Toronto, dating back to Dec. 2022.
Meanwhile Derrick White scored 21 points, eight of which came in the game’s final five minutes, and Luke Kornet added a season-high 20 points (yes, you also read that right) in his first start of the year. The big man got on the court for the first time in over two weeks and showed no signs of rust as he scored effortlessly (9-11 shooting) against primary defender Jakob Poeltl and the rest of the Raptors.
What was the game plan?
Before the game, head coach Darko Rajaković spoke about his team’s success working through the post against Boston in their last matchup and the advantages it created.
Yet he still let his team get into a shooting contest with a Celtics team that leads the league in three-point attempts and makes. Keep in mind the Raptors rank 25th in three-point makes per game and 27th in three-point percentage.
Without Tatum, Porzingis, and Horford in this game, Toronto should’ve had a clear advantage at the rim. Instead, they were a minus-four on points in the paint and chucked up 44 threes, five more than Boston.
There’s no reason for a shootout to be the game plan. Rajaković said it himself last week, “it’s not like there’s Steph Curry on the bench.” And if that wasn’t what the coaching staff wanted, they should’ve changed it much sooner. If that is what they wanted, there are bigger issues.
It’s all well and good that the Raptors mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter as they switched things up defensively with small ball and emphasized interior scoring. How about doing all that BEFORE getting down double digits?
Game notes
- Toronto has now lost all nine of its games against the Atlantic division this season, making it 12 straight defeats against divisional opponents.
- The Raptors allowed seven three-pointers in the first quarter, the most they’ve allowed in any quarter this season.
- Boston is now 16-0 at home this season, have won five games in a row, and 10 of their last 11 overall.
Up next
The Raptors visit the Detroit Pistons on Saturday for a game full of intrigue for all the wrong reasons. On the second night of a back-to-back, Toronto will try to hand Detroit their 29th consecutive loss. If they do, the Pistons will hold the title of longest losing streak in NBA and North American sports history. If the Raptors lose?… Guess, we’ll have to wait and watch. Strap in.
