The Toronto Raptors lost in their first road game this season. The reigning NBA champions were defeated in Boston by the Celtics, 112-106.
In one very tough and hard game, the hosts managed to come on top of the Raptors, who had a lead throughout the majority of the second half. It wasn’t some spectacular advantage, but Nick Nurse’s guys did control the situation. That was the scenario until the late part of the final period when Celtics took over and rallied to reach their first win of the season.
Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown played excellent, with the newcomer from the Hornets scoring 11 of his 22 points in that part of the game. He was much better than against the 76ers in the season opener when he made just 4 of his 18 shots. In this one, the teammates were constantly pushing Kemba forward by boosting his morale and telling him to keep on going. It is what helped the All-Star point guard.
“That’s what I needed,” Walker said. “The things that they said to me are the things that I needed to hear. They saw my face, kind of down at times. They just kept encouraging me.”
The largest lead the Raptors had was 7 points, while the Celtics had 6, and that could tell you how tight this game was.
Even though Toronto held the Celtics to just 38.5% shooting from the field, what was the problem for the guests is the fact that they couldn’t control the defensive glass. Boston had 21 offensive rebounds, compared to 5 of Nurse’s boys. It allowed the hosts many second-chance points, and many happened in the decisive moments of the last quarter.
What were the positive sides of the Raptors’ performance is the high percentage behind the three-point line. The Canadian team would make 18 of their 36 attempts, and overall they posted 47.4% from the field. The Raptors also had 26 points off Boston’s turnovers, while allowing just 8 on the other side.
Pascal Siakam was telling that the rivals changed the way they play defense against his team and that he alone especially feels that, as they now dedicate more attention to him.
“There’s more help, obviously,” he said. “Last year, I felt like I was always out there on the side just working. Now there’s a little more intention.”
The Most Improved Player of the previous season scored 33 points tonight, shooting from downtown 5 of 7. He added 8 boards also. Kyle Lowry was helping him with 29 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds, and he too had a barrage from behind the arc, 6 of 10. The only one left with a double-digit number of points was Serge Ibaka, who had 13, adding 8 boards.
Meanwhile, the Celts had three guys with 20+ points. Brown had 25, same as Jason Tatum, and Kemba posted 22. Gordon Hayward scored 15, Marcus Brown 10.
The Celtics are visiting the New York Knicks on Saturday, while the Raptors head for Chicago to meet the Bulls. After that, Nick Nurse’s team is coming back home to face the Orlando Magic.
