The Celtics visit the Toronto Raptors for the 4th and final meeting between these two teams this season. The Celtics are 2-1 in the 3 games so far. The Celtics won both games in Boston and lost an ugly one to a shorthanded Raptors team in the last game in Toronto. The Celtics won the series 4-0 last season. The Celtics are 72-43 overall all time against the Raptors. They are 28-29 all time in games played in Toronto.
This is the first of back to back games for the Celtics. They will travel to Detroit for the 2nd half of the back to back set on Wednesday. The Celtics are 6-2 on the first night of back to back games and they are 3-1 when the first game is on the road. The Raptors are also playing in the first of back to back games. They are 2-8 on the first night of back to back games and will play at Indiana on Wednesday.
The Raptors changed their roster this off season with free agent signings, trades and the draft. They signed Immanuel Quickley, Garrett Temple, Bruno Fernando, and Jamison Battle as free agents. They traded Jalen McDaniels for Davion Mitchell. They drafted Ulrich Chomche (57), Jamal Sheed (45), Jonathan Mogbo (31) and Ja’Kobe Walter (19).
They lost Jordan Nwora, Gary Trent, Jr, and Malik Williams to free agency. They released Bruno Fernando at the trade deadline. They also traded former Celtic Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown, Jr to New Orleans for Brandon Ingram. They also traded Davion Mitchell to Miami for PJ Tucker, who is away from the team and has not played for the team. They also traded for James Wiseman, who was waived.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 6 games behind the first place Cleveland Cavaliers, who have won their last 7 games. They are now 4 games ahead of the 3rd place Knicks after the Celtics beat them on Sunday. The Celtics are 23-6 on the road. They are 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are 30-9 against Eastern Conference teams and 9-2 against the Atlantic Division. The Celtics have won their last 5 games.
The Raptors are 13th in the East, 29 games behind first place Cleveland. They are 13 games behind 6th place Detroit, 4 games behind 10th place Chicago and 2.5 games behind 12th place Philadelphia. They are 3 games ahead of 14th place Charlotte. They are 13-18 at home and 3-7 in their last 10 games. They are 11-25 against Eastern Conference opponents and 4-7 against Atlantic Division teams. They are coming off a win in their last game.
The Celtics began the final stretch after the All Star break with a 20 point win at Philadelphia before returning home to beat the Knicks by 13. After this game at Toronto, they will play at Detroit in back to back games. They then have a 7 game home stand against Cleveland, Denver, Portland, Philadelphia, LA Lakers, Utah, and Oklahoma City. After the 7 home games they will play 8 of the next 9 games on the road, including another trip out West.
The Celtics have 5 players on the injury report. The good news is that Neemias Queta, who missed the last game with an illness, and Xavier Tillman, who missed the last 3 games with knee inflammation, are both listed as probable. Since the Celtics are playing in back to back games. Jrue Holiday is out for rest and Al Horford (toe) is questionable. Luke Kornet is out for personal reasons. I don’t expect Al to play and with Kornet also out, I’m going to guess that Sam Hauser gets the start.
For the Raptors, Gradey Dick (thigh) is probable. Jakob Poeltl has missed the last 7 games with a hip injury but is listed as questionable for this game. New Raptor, Brandon Ingram, has yet to suit up for his new team and remains out for this one with an ankle injury. PJ Tucker is not with the team and has not suited up for the Raptors as yet. Two Way player Ulrich Chomche (knee) is also out.
Probable Celtics Starters
Grid View
Celtics ReservesPayton PritchardBaylor ScheiermanJordan WalshTorrey CraigXavier Tillman Neemias Queta
2 Way PlayersJD DavisonDrew PetersonAnton Watson
Injuries/OutXavier Tillman (knee) probable Neemias Queta (illness) probable Al Horford (toe) questionable Jrue Holiday (rest) out Luke Kornet (personal) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Raptors Starters
Grid View
Raptors Reserves Ochai AgbajiJamison BattleChris BoucherJonathan MogboJared Rhoden (10 Day)Jamal SheadGarrett TempleJa’Kobe Walker
2 Way Players Ulrich ChomcheAJ Lawson Orlando Robinson
Injuries/Out Grady Dick (thigh) probable Jakob Poeltl (hip) questionable Ulrich Chomche (knee) out Brandon Ingram (ankle) outPJ Tucker (not injury related) out
Head CoachDarko Rajakovic
Key Matchups
Grid View
Sam Hauser
Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
RJ Barrett
Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
Sam Hauser vs RJ BarrettBarrett is averaging 21.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. He is shooting 47.6% from the field and 36.2% from beyond the arc. In the 2 games against the Celtics this season, Barrett averaged 23.5 points, 10 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block per game while shooting 44.4% from the field and 25.3% from the field.
Grid View
Jayson Tatum
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Scottie Barmes
Photo by Jordan Jones/NBAE via Getty Images
Jayson Tatum vs Scottie BarnesBarnes is averaging 19.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 47.6% from the field and 27% from beyond the arc. In 2 game against the Celtics this season, Barnes averaged 17 points 8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 42.9% from the field and 15.4% from beyond the arc. Jayson Tatum has been playing very well since the break and hopefully that continues in this game.
Keys to the Game Defense – Defense will always be the key to winning. If the Celtics hope to win the championship again this season, it will have to be with defense first. The Celtics are capable of locking down teams with suffocating defense, but they have to put the effort into it. So far this season, they have put that kind of effort out at times and at other times have slacked off. They were 1st in the regular season and 1st in the playoffs on defense last season. The Celtics are 5th currently with a defensive rating of 109.6. The Raptors are 25th with a defensive rating of 115.6. The Celtics allowed the Raptors to shoot 50.6% from the field in their loss to the Raptors in January. They have to tighten up their defense in this one if they want to win.
Rebound – Rebounding is second only to defense as a key to winning. The Raptors are 19th with 43.9 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 8th with 45.3 rebounds per game. Last season, the Celtics were 2nd pulling down 46.3 rebounds per game. Rebounding is very important to limit second chance baskets and fast breaks. The Raptors are 13th with 14.5 second chance points per game. Much of rebounding is effort and hustle. In their January loss to the Raptors, the Celtics were out rebounded 56-45. The Celtics must put out more effort to beat the Raptors to rebounds in this one.
Don’t Underestimate – Several of the Celtics losses this season have come at the hands of teams they should have beat but didn’t because they failed to give the effort needed to get the win. The first game against the Raptors this season went to overtime when it should have been a blow out. And the Celtics lost their last game against the Raptors because they allowed the short handed Raptors to play harder than them. The Celtics have to come into this game ready to give maximum effort and to play the Raptors like they are the top team in the league. They can’t underestimate them because of their record or their injuries. If they do, they could end up with another lost game that they should have won.
Move the Ball – The Celtics are 17th in the league with 26 assists per game. They play best when the ball is moving and players move to get open to find the best shots. When the ball sticks, the offense is stagnant and the Celtics struggle to score. They need to make good passes and keep the ball moving rather than lapsing into hero ball. The Raptors are 9th with 28.6 assists per game. In their loss to the Raptors this season, the Celtics had just 24 assists to 35 for the Raptors. The Celtics can’t let the Raptors get comfortable and have to interrupt their passes while moving the ball themselves.
X-FactorsOn the Road – The Celtics are once again on the road where they are 23-6, but one of those 6 losses was in Toronto. Travel, staying in hotels, playing on an unfamiliar court and in front of hostile fans all are distractions that can take away from players’ focus. The Celtics need to put all that behind them and focus on playing their game.
Officiating – While rarely is officiating a reason for a win or a loss, it can always be an x-factor. Every game is called differently. Some games are called tightly and some games are allowed to be more physical. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the game is being called and focus on playing and not on the bad calls that are being made or not being made. Raptors coach, Darko Rajakovic will definitely tell you that officiating can be an x factor after he went on a rant about the officials after a game last season and was ejected in December for a profanity laced rant at the ref during a game.
And make sure to check out CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a live conversation about the game. To participate, just create a free account, connect your LP sub if you have it, and join our community.
