Better play, familiar result as Raptors begin in-season tournament with loss

TORONTO — The expectation was that the Toronto Raptors would come out of the gates with a little bit extra pop Friday night time than they’ve within the first two video games of their four-game homestand.

Do you recall? They sleep-walked by the primary half towards the lowly Washington Wizards solely to roar again from down 23 early within the third quarter. That was enjoyable. Much less enjoyable was after they fell behind by 23 at half to the Milwaukee Bucks and didn’t roar again, a extra typical consequence.

However all the pieces was lining up Friday night time, aside from the truth that the visiting Boston Celtics have been the NBA’s finest workforce by the primary month of the season.

The Raptors had further motivation after getting smoked by Boston at TD Backyard final Saturday, leaving a wound that had a little bit further salt in it for the Raptors after Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla dared to make use of his coach’s problem with lower than 4 minutes to play and his workforce main by 27. Raptors guard Dennis Schroder mentioned it was “disrespectful”. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic would supply solely a tight-lipped “no remark.”

Spicy.

After which was Friday night time’s sport because the Raptors’ first installment of the new-fangled in-season match. There was a brand new black-and-grey courtroom and eye-popping gold uniforms.

Does it really feel a little bit totally different than your customary Friday night time in November, Rajakovic was requested.

“It does, it does,” he mentioned. “Everyone’s conscious that it’s the in-season match and we’re enjoying towards an excellent opponent. We’re able to go on the market and actually compete for 48 minutes and do our greatest.”

Nicely, for big parts of the sport, they did simply that. For instance, the Raptors began out enjoying good, crisp, and energized basketball towards the Celtics, even when Toronto was with out O.G. Anunoby for the third straight sport after he reduce the index finger of his proper hand doing ‘family chores’ on Toronto’s day without work final Sunday.

Much more spectacular was that after the Celtics — who’ve been to 5 Japanese Convention Finals previously seven years — pushed again and took a cushty lead into the half, the Raptors stepped up once more. Perhaps it was the prospect of the $500,000 winners share for the gamers on the workforce that wins the ‘IST,’ or perhaps it was the flashy uniforms and the daring courtroom. However towards a workforce that went all-in to win a title this season with a pair of defining strikes to amass centre Kristaps Porzingis and level guard Jrue Vacation, the Raptors competed all the best way all the way down to the wire in maybe their most spectacular outing of the season.

The outcome? Nicely, that’s the disappointing half. After a put-back by Jakob Poeltl gave the Raptors the lead with 1:19 to play, a jumper within the lane by Porzingis tied the rating earlier than Derrick White hit a wide-open three within the nook that was set-up when the Raptors over-helped to protect Vacation as he bulled his method into the lane. That gave Boston a three-point lead with 27 seconds to play. The Raptors managed get an open have a look at a game-tying three by Scottie Barnes on a well-designed sideline out-of-bounds play, however Barnes couldn’t get it to drop. When Boston made their free throws the sport was performed and the Celtics escaped with a 108-105 win that improved their file to 10-2 and 2-0 in IST play.

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The Raptors dropped the third straight sport on this four-game homestand and fell to 5-7 on the season. Pascal Siakam, restricted by foul hassle within the first half, scored 15 of his 23 factors within the second half. Had he been in a position to play greater than 29 minutes the result might need been totally different. Dennis Schroder additionally had 23 for Toronto, who shot 48.3 per cent from the ground and made 12-of-33 triples. Jalen Brown led the Celtics with 23 as Boston shot 45.7 per cent from the ground and was 16-of-46 from deep.

It was a show the Raptors may be pleased with. They moved the ball (29 assists) bought some balanced scoring — with all 5 starters in double figures — and so they battled towards one of many NBA’s elite groups. However the outcome was all too acquainted. Their 0-1 file within the IST doesn’t get rid of them from competition, nevertheless it does require them to run the desk of their subsequent three video games in group play to have an opportunity to advance to the eight-team knockout spherical.

The Raptors can declare some exhausting luck in that Siakam needed to sit down after selecting up his third foul 9 minutes into the primary quarter. He appeared poised to go on a heater and him spending a lot time on the bench when the Raptors have been rolling didn’t assist their trigger.

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The Raptors constructed a 32-26 first-quarter lead due to ball motion and chopping that produced 10 assists on 14 made subject targets. Gary Trent Jr. returned after lacking three video games with plantar fasciitis and scored 9 factors in eight minutes, benefiting from a uncommon begin. Siakam was wanting decisive, looking benefits, and posting up. He had eight earlier than foul hassle kicked in.

However then Boston’s expertise started to point out. As a rule when the Raptors drove the lane, all seven-foot-three of Porzingis was there ready to dam a shot or alter it. He put Chris Boucher on the bottom with a forceful block when the Montrealer tried to dunk on him. On the different finish of the ground, the Celtics’ capability to have 5 three-point threats on the ground always — together with Porzingis — left the Raptors scrambling and the paint extensive open. The Celtics took benefit in each potential method with fast ball motion that led to wide-open threes and drives from the perimeter that ended as lobs to Porzingis. If all else failed, Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, each all-NBA wings, would bully smaller Raptors defenders within the post-ups.

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The Raptors didn’t assist themselves after they bought confused in transition — as soon as when Schroder and Boucher collided leaving Brown open for 3 and once more when Trent Jr. and Barnes bought their alerts crossed and left Vacation a transparent lane for a lay-up. Boston shot 62 per cent within the second quarter and Brown and Tatum mixed for 19 factors. Toronto managed simply 17 factors within the quarter, shot simply 6-of-21 and dedicated 5 turnovers as their six-point lead on the finish of the primary quarter became a 65-49 lead for Boston at half.

The Raptors have been decided to be heard, and Siakam had some contemporary legs for the second half. With Siakam at his aggressive finest and the offence flowing by him, Toronto started to chip away at Boston’s lead finally tying the sport 73-73 with 4:47 to play within the third on a Schroder triple arrange by a Siakam drive that topped off a 24-8 run. It was one among three helpers for Siakam who additionally added 11 factors within the quarter as Toronto principally reversed the outcomes of the second quarter and began the fourth trailing by three.

The sport remained nip-and-tuck from that time. Siakam was nearly as good as anybody else on the ground and the Raptors stored discovering methods to attain and drive Boston into uncomfortable possessions on offence. Not a win, however maybe a constructing block going ahead.

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