Sometimes, in the later part of an 82-game regular season, teams find even the slightest things to motivate them to perform at a high level, especially on a Tuesday night in Toronto.
So while the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics could’ve easily overlooked its 18-39 opponent on the first night of a back-to-back stint of road games, coach Joe Mazzulla’s team did anything but. Instead, Boston keyed in on the sour taste left in its mouth after its 13-point loss to the Raptors last month, defending its way to a sixth-straight victory.
“We wanted this one,” Jayson Tatum told reporters after Boston’s 111-101 win. “Last time, they celebrated and (expletive) when they beat us. That’s to be expected [We] came here with a chip on our shoulders and found a way to win this game.”
Boston entered the game shorthanded with Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet, who all sidelined and started Tatum in the five spot. And in an amusing moment, the Celtics’ 6-foot, 8-inch stand-in center won the game’s opening tipoff, setting the stage for another impressive performance from the MVP candidate.
While he wasn’t Boston’s leading scorer — that honor went to Jaylen Brown, who scored 24 points despite leaving the game late in the third after colliding knees with an opposing player — Tatum’s presence was felt early and often. The 26-year-old registered his 25th double-double of the season, finishing with 19 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds.
“I’ll tell you what: That guy is the best player on the best team in the NBA,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters. “The team that won the championship. I don’t think he gets enough credit of what he does on both ends of the floor for that team. Offensively, defensively, we tried different things against him. We were trying to frustrate him with our physicality. He just kept going and kept making right decisions. They’re really lucky to have a guy like him. Amazing player and I’m a really, really big fan of his.”
Derrick White’s play also bolstered the shorthanded Celtics. In addition to his usual duties anchoring the Celtics’ defense, the guard finished with an impressive stat line of his own with 22 points, five assists, three rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Payton Pritchard added 20 points off the bench for the visiting team, connecting on four of his 13 three-point attempts.
Toronto, which falls to 1-3 against the Celtics this season, was led by a 22-point effort from RJ Barrett and 21 points from Scottie Barnes.
The Celtics will have little time to celebrate the victory as they head back into action Wednesday night to take on a Detroit Pistons team amid an impressive win streak. Detroit, which sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, has won seven straight since its last loss against the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 5.
Boston has won the last three matchups between the teams this season.
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