Jaylen Brown’s 26 factors led the Boston Celtics to a 115-101 win over the Toronto Raptors on Easter Sunday at TD Backyard, finishing the workforce’s 4-0 season sweep over its division rival.
That “rivalry” has been fairly lopsided in recent times. Boston has gone 15-1 towards Toronto over the previous 4 common seasons and has not misplaced a season sequence towards the Raptors since 2016-17.
Whereas the groups haven’t confronted off within the playoffs because the 2020 NBA Bubble, that might change this yr.
With right this moment’s win, the Celtics are 53-25 and maintain a commanding three-game lead over the New York Knicks for second seed within the Japanese Convention, with solely 4 video games left to go. Until Boston bottoms out over that closing run, it can face the seventh seed as decided by the Play-In Event.
With right this moment’s loss, the Raptors are 43-35 and tied record-wise with the Philadelphia 76ers. Nevertheless, Toronto loses that tiebreaker since its 4-11 division document is worse than Philly’s 9-7. That leaves the Raptors because the East’s present seventh seed and lined up for a possible look within the play-ins.
Immediately’s sport was the primary time all season that the Celtics’ damage report was clear, as Nikola Vučević returned nearly a month after present process surgical procedure to stabilize a fractured proper ring finger.
Boston began Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta.
The Raptors had been with out Immanuel Quickley, who missed his eighth straight sport to plantar fasciitis in his proper foot, and Chucky Hepburn, who tore the meniscus in his proper knee in January and has but to return.
Toronto began Ja’Kobe Walter, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl.
Boston acquired off to a sizzling begin, taking a 10-2 lead lower than three minutes into the sport. A whole lot of that may be credited to Neemias Queta, who acquired three straightforward buckets off of assists from Brown and White as Toronto’s protection crowded the perimeter and left the paint open for Queta to dominate.
With the assistance of some sloppy play and three Celtics turnovers, the Raptors went on a mini-run and tied the sport at 12-12, however a Tatum three-pointer, Queta putback and 4 straight factors from Brown put Boston again up 19-15.
With 5 minutes to go within the first quarter, Coach Joe Mazzulla subbed in Baylor Scheierman — who instantly hit a three-pointer — Vučević, Jordan Walsh and Payton Pritchard for everybody however Brown.
Vooch appeared rusty in his first minutes again on the courtroom, turning the ball over on a nasty cross and lacking his first three-point try. Throughout that point, Toronto took its first lead of the sport 24-22, with about two minutes to go within the quarter.
Over the last play of the quarter, Tatum drove to the rim and made a formidable cross to Vučević on the perimeter, however Vooch missed his second three-point try. The quarter ended with the groups tied 26-26.
Early within the second quarter, Tatum strong-armed a block on RJ Barrett, resulting in an open Hauser three-point make and a technical foul on Barrett, who was upset with the no-call.
Tatum hit the technical free throw to place the Celtics up 31-30, however the Raptors hit the following two pictures and took a 34-30 lead with 10 minutes to go within the half. Ja’Kobe Walter led Toronto’s early efforts with a 13-point begin on 5-6 capturing from the sphere and 3-4 capturing from three-point vary.
A ten-0 run elevated the Raptors’ result in 38-30, however the Celtics acquired a couple of offensive rebounds on the following play to snap their scoreless run with a robust Queta layup. His early dominance continued into the second quarter, as he acquired one other putback bucket, in addition to a simple reducing dunk off of a Tatum help.
Whereas the Celtics continued to battle on offense, the Raptors shared within the lull, permitting Boston to tie the sport at 42 with about three minutes to go within the half.
Derrick White hit a three-pointer to take the lead again, 45-42, and after some back-and-forth scoring, Tatum hit a 3 from the highest of the important thing to go up 52-46.
Brown hit the workforce’s closing shot of the quarter to increase the result in 54-46 on the half. He completed the half with 12 factors, 5 rebounds and three assists on 6-10 capturing from the sphere.
Tatum had 11 factors, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a couple of steals on 50% capturing from the sphere and 2-3 capturing from three-point vary, but additionally had 5 turnovers — greater than half of the workforce’s 9 complete turnovers — and three private fouls on the half.
Queta was the Celtics’ undisputed MVP of the primary half, main the workforce with 16 factors on 8-9 capturing from the sphere, 5 rebounds and an help. He was on the coronary heart of the Celtics’ 24-8 run to finish the second quarter, which started when he subbed again into the sport with lower than 9 minutes to go within the half.
To start the third quarter, Tatum slithered previous a stable Queta display screen and thru the Raptors’ protection for a dunk. He additionally secured his sixth double-double in seven video games along with his tenth rebound with 22 minutes left to go within the sport.
Queta’s robust play continued with a pair of hovering blocks over the primary couple of minutes of the second half, however he was subbed out in favor of Vučević with about 7:30 to go within the third quarter because the workforce was up 62-57.
Vooch acquired his first bucket of the night time off of an offensive rebound, however did little else throughout his second stint on the courtroom.
Boston’s struggles with turnovers didn’t let up within the third quarter, because the Celtics racked up 5 extra turnovers over the primary six minutes of the second half. The Raptors saved up the stress and tied the sport at 69-69 with lower than 5 minutes to go within the third quarter.
Queta was subbed again in for Vučević with about 4 minutes left to go within the third quarter and he acquired his third block of the night time shortly after.
Toronto once more tied the sport at 75-75, however a wild nook three from Brown as soon as once more put the Celtics on prime, 78-75.
The groups went back-and-forth over the past two minutes of the third, which completed with Boston main 80-77.
The fourth quarter started with an absurd behind-the-back cross from Tatum to an open Payton Pritchard for a three-pointer, then a Vučević bucket to place the C’s up 85-77.
With the assistance of one other Pritchard bucket and a Toronto turnover, then a foul on a Tatum three-pointer, the Celtics secured their first double-digit lead of the night time at 89-79 with 10 minutes to go within the closing body.
When it appeared just like the Raptors might deliver the lead again to single digits, Sam Hauser acquired an and-1 to increase the result in 96-83.
Toronto reduce the result in 98-91 with a pair Brandon Ingram jumpers over Pritchard, however Queta acquired a large putback dunk and White hit his second three-pointer of the night time to increase the lead again as much as 103-91 with about 4 minutes remaining.
The Celtics all however ended the night time with a sudden scoring explosion sparked by Brown within the closing minutes. Brown used some slick strikes to make Barrett buckle over and contact the courtroom earlier than he blew by for a simple driving layup. He then acquired his personal rebound off of a free throw miss and put it again in for one more bucket to place Boston up by 14.
After a Tatum layup and White fadeaway, Brown acquired a steal and dunked it to deliver the Celtics’ result in 18 factors with lower than three minutes to go.
Brown completed the sport with 26 factors on 55% capturing from the sphere, with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a couple of steals.
Tatum had 23 factors, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 5 turnovers.
Queta racked up 18 factors, 7 rebounds — 5 of them on the offensive finish — 4 assists and three blocks.
In Vooch’s first probability to play alongside Jayson Tatum, he completed with 4 factors, 4 rebounds and an help in 13 minutes of play.
Total, Boston shot an abysmal 8-28 (28.6%) from three-point vary, however completed the sport with 76 factors within the paint and 9 extra rebounds than Toronto (44-31). Whereas turnovers had been a difficulty for the Celtics, each groups ended with 15 turnovers, and there was solely a 2-point distinction in factors off of turnovers for the sport.
The Celtics’ subsequent sport might be one other potential first-round preview, as Boston will tackle the rolling Charlotte Hornets at 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 7, on the TD Backyard.
The sport might be broadcasted on NBC and Peacock.
