Boston Celtics outlast depleted Toronto Raptors; wins fourth straight
Pascal Siakam and Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum led the Boston Celtics past the Toronto Raptors to register the former team’s 4th consecutive victory. Tatum scored a double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds to led his team against short-handed Raptors. Jaylen Brown added 21, whereas Kemba Walker added 15. Going into the All-Star Break, the Celtics have gained the much-needed momentum to perhaps improve their run in the 2020-21 remaining season.
Talking about the Toronto Raptors, were without starters Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby, along with Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw as they remained in the health and safety protocols, has lost four of five. Coach Nick Nurse and several members of his staff were also in the protocols, leaving the coaching duties to assistant Sergio Scariolo.
Jayson Tatum leads charge for Boston Celtics against Toronto Raptors
The Raptors hit 21 3-pointers and led early before being outscored 35-22 in the third quarter. Chris Boucher led Toronto with 30 points. Norman Powell finished with 25 points and Terence Davis added 22. After trailing for most of the first half, the Celtics outscored the Raptors 35-22 in the third quarter to take an 101-92 lead.
Being short-handed didn’t stop the Raptors from starting fast. They got 21 first-half points from Powell and connected on 11 3-pointers to take a 70-66 lead into halftime. The Celtics had eight 3s and shot 58% from the field in the opening 24 minutes. They also had nine turnovers, leading to 10 Toronto points.
Boston trailed by as many as nine before outscoring Toronto 19-14 to end the half. The run included some nice defensive plays, including a block by Robert Williams on Kyle Lowry that started a fast break and ended with Williams on the receiving end of an alley-oop from Walker.
Also Read: “I’m scared of top centres”: Joel Embiid takes a dig at…
Stay Updated!
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)