Celtics blow out the Raptors, 112-88
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| Jeff Green chipped in 20 points |
Yahoo Boxscore
Game Summary:
The Celtics started the game off decently, playing solid defense and making the most of their shots. Eventually the Raptors broke through to make a run. But the way the Celtics played was decent enough, although the offense looked a bit ugly.
In the second quarter, the gameplay continued to be ugly. Neither team could really shake the other off, but the Celtics seemed primed for a run. Eventually they did make one, to take a fairly-sized lead before hafltime. Both the Celtics defense and the poor decisions by the Raptors made this possible.
The Celtics blew the game open in the second half of the third quarter, dusting the Raptors. They would keep the sizable lead until the fourth, finishing the game with a deficit of 24 points.
The Good:
The Celtics bounced back offensively. The scoring was well-balanced. Jeff Green came up big with some more responsibility. KG and PP got plenty of rest. The bench performed well. The Celtics outrebounded the other team, and forced a bunch of turnovers.
The Bad:
This was all done against a really bad team. To be honest, nothing really bad tonight.
Conclusion:
Toronto is really bad. The Celtics are really good at home. The Celtics got a weak opponent tonight, and completely jumped on them. The Raptors were out of it by the third quarter. People might wonder why they didn't close the door sooner, but it is hard to complain with the end result. The Celtics continue their strong play at home, and they take on the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday.
Play-by-Play:
The game started off a bit slow, with neither team beating up too much on the other. Brandon Bass was the most active Celtic on the offensive end. The Celtics got a small lead, but they couldn't do much to extend it for the next couple minutes. The Celtics called the first timeout of the game, after a Brandon Bass turnover. The score was 14-9. Chris Wilcox was the first sub in. He hit the next two baskets for the team, pushing the lead up to 6-points. The Celtics played good defense against the Raptors for most of the quarter. Jason Terry got a strange technical for swatting the ball into the stands before a timeout by the Raptors. The Raptors then went on a small run to get within 1, as it was 20-21 with 48 seconds left. The Celtics fumbled the lead away and ended the first quarter down 1.
The second quarter started, and the Celtics quickly tied it up. Kevin Garnett passed Jerry West for 15th on the all-time scoring list with a 2-foot shot. The game continued to swing back and forth, as both teams kept responding to each other scoring. The Celtics jumped to a 7-point lead as the Raptors called a timeout. One play resumed, it was ugly once again. The only basket in the next two minutes was scored by the Raptors, before the Celtics called a timeout up 5. The Raptors would not go away however, and kept the game close. The Celtics eventually got a little more breathing room by going on an 8-2 run and going into halftime leading 49-40.
The Celtics came out of halftime strong, before the Raptors fought their way back to make the lead a bit smaller. Paul Pierce just slid into 20th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list, surpassing Charles Barkley. The Raptors kept fighting however and the lead stayed in the single digits. Telfair got ejected for arguing with an official, and the Celtics led 81-62 after 3rd. They ended the quarter on a 21-6 run.
The Celtics kept with some young players and vets in the fourth, not letting up on the Raptors. The Celtics just kept pushing the lead up, leading to some well-deserved Gino time.
Your Take: How did you feel about the game tonight? Sound off in the comments!
You can follow Jun Pang on Twitter @CjEuLnTICS
