CELTICS 116, RAPS 103
Another third quarter collapse. The Raptors have to recognize, this is where they lose games, as they were outscored 33-17 in the third. The Celtics went on a 13-0 run during this quarter and the Raptors weren't able to stop anything.
But again, this is the Boston Celtics, a team I see heading to the NBA Finals and are at a whole other level than these Toronto Raptors. Is that an excuse? No. The Raps for some reason mailed it in on the defensive end once again. Conversely, when the Celtics needed to step up and defend, they knew what to do. A one-point halftime deficit for the Raptors turned into a 15-point deficit after three quarters, as a Rasheed Wallace three capped the quarter.
The fourth quarter started with this ugly jam by Paul Pierce on Chris Bosh, in which Jay Triano went into a frenzy after Pierce's "unsportsmanlike" taunt (via @RedsArmy).
The Raps made a run in the fourth which started with a Hedo three ball as the Raps were able to get within nine. But the wheels fell off with under five minutes to play and the Celtics were just too much for the Raps.
The Celtics had a balanced attack with all Boston starters and Rasheed Wallace off of the bench in double figures. Ray Allen led the way with 20 points. The Raptors defense was horrible again as the Celtics shot 62% from the field.
Turnovers killed the Raptors as they had a whopping 25 turnovers with Hedo Turkoglu having 7 of them. Bosh continued to put together another 20-10 with 20 pts, 13 boards and 2 steals. Jarret Jack was a bright spot off of the bench, outperforming Jose Calderon with 18 pts, 5 assists and was 8-8 from the line.
Key Notes:
- The Raptors are horrible on the road, their road record is now 2-8
- Bargnani had a disappointing performance with 7 pts
- For a Celtics perspective, check out Redsarmy.com
- DeRozan Watch: 16:47 of playing time, 9 pts, 1 rebound, 1 three, 2 steals
Photo credit: (Photo by Steve Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
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