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Toronto Raptors strong second half not enough in preseason loss to Boston Celtics

Toronto made it interesting towards the end, but the deficit was too large.

A late surge by the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden made the score respectable, as the Boston Celtics remained undefeated in the preseason, winning 115-111.

Mind you, this was with a boatload of guys out on both sides. Toronto was without Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Bruce Brown Jr., Ja’Kobe Walter, Kelly Olynyk, and Garrett Temple. However, Boston was missing their entire top six players, including Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and even Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman.

It felt like the Maine Celtics were hosting the Raptors 905 with the amount of NBA talent watching from the sidelines.

The C’s jumped out to a big-time lead, putting up 41 points in the first quarter to go ahead by 21 big ones. Boston continued to dominate through the second frame, eventually leading 69-37 at the half.

At this point, it was looking rough for the Raptors, as you could probably tell by that halftime score. The team was 1-of-9 from three and only 8-for-42 in their last six quarters.

Payton Pritchard was the main catalyst for the Celtics jumping out to their third straight 30-point lead this preseason, with five long bombs and 19 points at the break.

It was a different story in the second half, however.

Scottie Barnes set the tone immediately in the third quarter, getting more physical and to the paint. He would finish with 10 points, two assists, one rebound, one steal, and one block in 26 minutes of play.

The 23-year-old played a big part in the Raptors outscoring the home team 74-46 in the second half, but a lot of credit should go to Gradey Dick.

The second-year sharpshooter came into tonight only 3-for-13 from deep this preseason, but he turned it around, knocking down 50 percent (5-for-10) against Boston. He ended the night with 18 points, two rebounds, and one steal.

It’s been a rough preseason for Dick defensively, however, and that didn’t change in this one. The 20-year-old was beaten cleanly off the dribble multiple times by the likes of Jordan Walsh and Lonnie Walker IV and was put into a majority of actions in which he allowed good looks on nearly every single one.

It was also 31st overall pick Jonathan Mogbo’s best game to date as a Raptor. His motor was always running which led to the majority of his eight points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. You can see the handle, passing chops, and athleticism that he possesses, but finishing around the rim has been the biggest struggle for him. You can see what Mogbo wants to do, but relying on athleticism to get to the rim doesn’t always work.

Jakob Poeltl was also solid for Toronto. The big man’s 14-point, 13-rebound double-double felt impactful as he was easily the Dino’s best player in the first half, with his teammates setting him up while he consistently crashed the glass hard.

The remainder of Toronto’s preseason schedule is here, before everything gets going for real on Oct. 23, when Canada’s team plays host to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Up next, the Raptors will look to bring their preseason record back to .500 as they tip off against the Celtics again, but this time at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

DateOpponentTime (ET)
Tuesday, Oct. 15vs. Boston7:00 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 18@ Brooklyn7:30 p.m.