In what promised to be a game with a decent amount of star power for a Toronto crowd to look at, in actuality was a game for the basketball sickos. No Jaylen Brown, no Scottie Barnes, or Brandon Ingram – in fact the whole of the Raptors starting lineup was out in this one.
The first bucket was a Gradey Dick triple, courtesy of a pass from Collin Murray-Boyles, and it really set the tone for what the opening stretch of the game would look like. For a while, Dick was the first action on every play down. They were playing out of delay, and waiting for Dick to jostle loose of his player and into a handoff to kick things off. It worked out alright, as his aggression helped create some looks (and some free throws that he uncharacteristically split 2-4) but by the end of the 8 minute stretch he was dog tired. They also had him playing pressure defense on the other end. Both Collin Murray-Boyles — who had two self created buckets, hell yeah — and Sandro Mamukelashvili peppered in a bit of offense, too.
For the Celtics? Another white boy trying to shake loose: Payton Pritchard. He started the game 4-11, but the Celtics just needed churn to stay ahead of the Raptors, honestly. While the Dick-led offense wasn’t sublime, it was far better at creating looks than whatever came afterwards. If you think this sounds harsh, the Raptors didn’t score a single bucket for the rest of the quarter after Dick left the game. Preseason basketball, baby!
Dick’s whirling dervish, hyper active sensibilities also created 5 extra offensive possessions in the first half. 4 ORBS, and one foul drawn while fighting for a fifth.
The Raptors crept their way back a little bit — helped out by human pogo stick Alijah Martin dunking in transition and hitting a corner triple — with some ball pressure defense from Shead & Walter in particular to gum up the Celtics offensive process, which was heavily reliant on Anfernee Simons, who of course had some success drumming up opportunity for the Celtics. Ochai Agbaji was also a calming presence in just about everything – offense and defense of any variety. Things were going alright, trending in a positive direction, until a Boucher storm came twirling in. 9 points in very quick succession – 2 threes and a trip to the free throw line for a fouled 3-point jumper.
Of note: CMB picked up a right elbow contusion and had to leave the game. I assume out of an abundance of caution.
We’ve seen it many times in a Raptors jersey. Boucher’s talent and addiction to any potential shot that comes his way can do a fusion dance that = points, and a handful of them very quickly. It was a strong counterpunch against a Raptors team that had come close to drawing things back even. The Raptors lost the thread to close things out, seeing a 4-point deficit reach all the way to 19 in pretty short order.
Nothing in the way of, erm, headway came to start the second half. The Raptors put some nice plays on tape, Dick & Mamu as drivers in particular, but they were still getting handily smoked. Pritchard & Simons really found their stride as creators, timing up the Raptors freneticism and rather than be overwhelmed by it, they found the grooves on the proverbial clock gears. A short burst from Dick that included a big step over swim move in transition before a reverse lay, and a no dip triple from the right wing brought the Raptors as close as they’d been in some time. But, let me tell you, they were still looking at a 15-point deficit. That is, before Chucky Hepburn and Jamison Battle spearheaded a tidy bit of offense to bring the team back within 10 as the 3rd quarter finished up – Hepburn hit a prayer buzzer-beater.
The benches were emptied for the fourth quarter, on both sides, and the game turned into a wrestling match, damn near. A lot of missed shots, a lot of banging bodies under the rim, clutching, clawing, and battling for any extra possession they could get – and the proximity to the rim upon collecting the rebound. Gritting, grinding, and honoring the Memphis Grizzlies of yesteryear. Olivier Sarr going to war against Amari Williams. David Roddy in hand to hand contact vs. Jalen Bridges. Old friend Ron Harper Jr. hit a triple to quiet the crowd and extend the Celtics lead to 10 from 7 with six and a half minutes to go. By the way, the Sarr battle? He picked up 5 fouls in 5 minutes. Mogbo came into close the game out – and boy did that turn out to be huge.
Hepburn was really strong to close the game. Of course, there’s no easy or efficient way to score buckets as a third guard with end of bench lineups, but he kept churning out look after look for his guys. Not to mention his pickup defense was essential to the last dash effort the Raptors made to take the game from Boston. Two straight backcourt steals, a David Roddy triple, a couple layups in short order. A handoff into a Hepburn triple. A strip from Hepburn on a drive, and a foul to send him to the line. A great stretch, and most of it spurned on by the energetic point guard for the Raptors. 103-101 Celtics, with roughly a minute and a half to go. Mogbo was also instrumental in the turnaround, as his defense really changed what the Raptors pressure looked like.
Sidenote: the Raptors crowd was truly excellent for a preseason game, and especially one where all the starters sat. Very energetic. Tuned into every play. A big, booming “LET’S GO RAPTORS” blaring out across the arena.
It was Mogbo — jumping a guy in the backcourt and forcing a steal, before getting the ball back and laying it off to Lawson for a layup — who brought the game even for the Raptors at 103. It was Roddy who knifed through the lane on a pound dribble/slick gather/step through for the game tying bucket at 105. On an iso no less.
We were knotted up at 105 with 35 seconds left. The Raptors jumbotron flashing the win probability metric spiking back towards them.
Mogbo swarmed the Celtics on the inbounds and forced yet another turnover. Hepburn missed a jumper on the following possession and the Celtics ran out with all the intention in the world of ending the game, but they threw the ball away. 4 seconds left. Raptors ball. For all the marbles.
A lot of running around, some back screens, and Mogbo slipped loose to win the game with a layup. An improbable comeback. Fueled by the helter-skelter duo of Mogbo & Hepburn.
Have a blessed day.
