The Toronto Raptors have been in the midst of a slump lately and the rest of the NBA had started losing hope on this squad from doing anything when playoffs roll around. This judgement is not completely true. Yes, the Raptors have been struggling and have lost 4 out of their last 7 games, but this was definitely one of their toughest week of match-ups. All the teams they have been facing are playoff contending teams and back-to-back situations mixed in there as well. The Boston Celtics are undermanned but have done the most with the least. Brad Stevens has coached one heck of a season once again and is a contender with Dwane Casey for the Coach of the Year honors. This game had huge implications on the line as the winner of this match-up will most likely end up with the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors started this game strong on the defensive end and so did the Boston Celtics. OG Anunoby caught two quick fouls when switched up guarding Al Horford in the post and was replaced by Norman Powell halfway through the first quarter of play. Both Ibaka and Valanciunas were doing a good job of deterring any shots in the paint and kept the interior defense strong. Jaylen Brown picks up his second foul after Lowry steps in for the charge. It has been a long time since Lowry had drawn a charge even though he leads the NBA in that category. Both teams struggled to score and the Raptors shot terribly. The first quarter ended 14-20 with the Celtics taking the early 6-point lead. The 14 points were the Raptors lowest scoring quarter of the season.
The Bench Mob started the second quarter and were trying to make things happen on both the defensive and offensive end with their energy and movement. Greg Monroe was a load in the post and was able to grab offensive rebounds early and often. Dwane Casey knowing how important of a game this was went with a lineup that has been rarely seen this season. On the floor, it was Lowry, Wright, VanVleet, Miles, and Bebe. The length of Nogueira created deflections and created fast break opportunities. This lineup created tons of spacing as Bebe was the only big on the floor and Lowry was able to penetrate into the lane and create for others. Raptors go on a quick 9-0 run to retake the lead midway through the second quarter. The Raptors defence was stingy and Lowry drew another charge on Jaylen Brown who had been running out of control. The Celtics had gone cold and were stifled by the Raptors’ tenacious defence. The run continues and becomes a 20-3 run with no end in sight. Both Wright and Bebe played the rest of the second with the starters as they closed out the half 43-33. The Raptors were not shooting the ball well, but the Celtics had 14 turnovers at the half which the Raptors converted into 22 points.
The second half begins with the Raptors’ starters all on the floor. Serge Ibaka was making plays on both ends with a block on defence and runs down the floor to take advantage of a mismatch to get all the way to the rim. Unlike the previous game where Tatum was getting everything he wanted offensively, OG did a great job keeping him out of the lane and making him uncomfortable. OG also had great instincts on offense and managed to get two put-back dunks. DeRozan was hitting his shots from the outside and the Raptors were rolling. Terry Rozier of the Boston Celtics was visibly frustrated and started to force up bad shots and missing badly. Before you knew it, the third quarter was finally over as the Boston Celtics blew a sigh of relief as the score was 67-53.
DeMar was struggling with his shooting on the night and had great open looks which he usually knocks down. Greg Monroe was doing damage down low and the Raptors were unable to keep the “Moose” off the glass. Jakob Poeltl was being outworked in this one and Casey went back with Bebe early once again. JV had sacrificed his minutes and was still on the bench ever since the beginning of the third quarter. The bench was executing well and managed to break the 2-3 zone that the Celtics tried to run and mess up the Toronto offense, but it failed. Toronto was able to create two dunks out of the zone. The ball movement and player movement was excellent. The Celtics never came close or even threatened to take the lead back.
The bench scored almost equivalent to the starters as Brad Stevens waved the white flag early in the game. Stevens gave up on the 1st seed and wanted to rest his guys for the upcoming post-season. The bench changed the makeup of the game and maintained the huge lead in the fourth quarter. The bench dominated the game on both sides and the Raptors were able to cruise to an easy win. A much needed one at that. The Raptors haven’t won in a blowout fashion in what feels like a couple months. The next game the Raptors will have their hands full with the 5th seed Indiana Pacers who have been playing well lately.
Toronto Raptors Boston Celtics
96 78
Player of the Game
Delon Wright
27 minutes, 8 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 4/9 shooting, 0/0 3PT, 0/0 FT, +19
Fred VanVleet
24 minutes, 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 5/10 shooting, 3/6 3PT, 2/2 FT, +10
These two changed the game and what initially looked like a grind out kind of game turned into a blowout. These two were wreaking havoc on the Boston guards who were without Kyrie Irving once again. Delon’s defence on Jaylen Brown was fantastic even though he gave up a ton of inches in height, his length helped him overcome that along with his quickness. VanVleet ran a beautiful pick-and-roll offense and hit big time shots to put this game out of hand. Wright almost had a triple-double off the bench which would have been a huge achievement, but still a solid game. Both guys will be relied upon when the playoffs roll around and will be a good test to see how they develop for the future.
Things To Take Away From This Game
1. Defence
The Raptors’ defence finally came back to reality and the effort was there for 48 minutes. The defence was swarming, relentless and aggressive in their closeouts. The Celtics struggled to put up a shot of high quality all night long. Brad Stevens could tell that this game was out of hand early as the Raptors finally came back to form both offensively and defensively. The bench’s defensive effort was what motivated the starters to match it and thus, the Raptors were able to shut down the Celtics and keep them under 80 points for the game.
2. Sacrifice
The commentators for the National TV Broadcast were talking a lot about this Raptors depth and how this team has improved from one season ago. Everyone talks about how DeMar and Lowry have sacrificed their games for the development of the bench and improve the team’s offensive capabilities. But Jonas Valanciunas is one of the major players who has learned to sacrifice his playing time for the overall success of the team. He only played 13 minutes in this game where he made appearances in the 1st quarter and 3rd quarter. Casey saw that Bebe and Poeltl were having a more impactful night and decided to roll with them for most of the evening. This team is selfless and supports one another, but this also motivates the other players to become better and learn from what Casey wants them to play like. A team that has gotten over themselves is similar to the concept the San Antonio Spurs play with.
3. Serge Ibaka
Serge has put together a good set of games where he has played efficiently on both the offensive end and the defensive end. His shooting has improved and since that game where he practiced 45 minutes after everyone left the gym, the results are showing. The confidence, the legs in his jumper and the overall shot selection has been better. This is the Ibaka the Raptors need come playoff time as he is versatile and a huge part of the success the Raptors have had this season.
Pictures courtesy of:
http://www.nba.com/raptors/gallery/rapsceltics-040418