Celtics offense shines in bounce back win over Raptors



The Celtics bounced back against the Raptors with an absurdly efficient night offensively. Payton Pritchard led the team with 27 points, and 6 Celtics scored double figures. 

The Celtics came out swinging with their most efficient first quarter of the season, shooting 65% from the floor and 62% from three. Sam Hauser led the way with 12 points, making 4/5 threes, helping the Celtics take a 37-30 first-quarter lead. 

Anfernee Simons would lead the way with 11 points in the second, giving the Celtics another efficient 30-point quarter. The Raptors, however, managed to stay attached with a 30-point quarter of their own. The Celtics held a 68-60 lead at halftime. 

In the third quarter, it would be Payton Pritchard's turn to dominate, scoring 12 points on 5/6 shooting. With just under 4 minutes left in the third, the Celtics took a 20-point lead, looking to put the Raptors away, but they wouldn't go quietly. Toronto would close the quarter on a 13-4 run, cutting the lead to 97-86. 

They would continue this run in the fourth quarter, getting the lead down to 6 with 6 minutes left. This would get the attention of the Celtics, and they would take back command of the game, never letting the lead get below 6. 

Six players would score at least 10 points, with 5 of them shooting over 50%. This was not a typical Celtics game, taking only 28 threes and scoring 62 points in the paint. The Celtics can win any way, and any player can have a great night in any game, which is what makes this team so unique. 

The Celtics will host the Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back to conclude a 4-game homestand. With just a half-game lead over the Knicks for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, this is a crucial game in the standings and will be a big test. 

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