RAPTORS ROLL UP THE RIM
Big second quarter sets the tone for Raps’ blowout win
The Raptors shot well and defended better, and it’s hard to imagine them putting a more thorough pasting on a quality opponent than they laid on the Boston Celtics at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night.
An astonishing second quarter in which they held Boston to 13 points while scoring 36, on 54 per cent shooting from the floor as a team, set the tone for a 118-95 dismantling of the Celtics in what had been billed as a showdown between two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.
It may ultimately turn out that way, but the Celtics were no match at all for the Raptors as Toronto put on a dominant offensive showing while turning in one of the better defensive performances of the last month.
Pascal Siakam set a career single-game mark by making four three-pointers as part of his team-high 25 points, while Kawhi Leonard had 21 and played just 26 minutes as he got the entire fourth quarter off. Marcus Morris had 17 points for Boston. Streak snapped: Kyle Lowry, who had a wonderful game overall despite a so-so shooting night, saw a streak of six games with at least two three-pointers come to an end when he went 1-for-4 from long distance. But he did dish out 11 assists, grab six rebounds and play tenacious defence all night in a vintage Lowry performance.
Kept in check: Boston’s Kyrie Irving and Al Horford routinely dominate the Raptors, but they were a combined 7-for-20 from the floor — and neither played a minute in the fourth quarter.
See you later: The game marked the last time this season that Toronto will face any of the top-ranked teams in the Eastern Conference. They are done with Boston (2-2 season series), Milwaukee (1-3), Indiana (2-1) and Philadelphia (2-1).
Getting some love: Remember when it was an issue with some Raptors fans that the team seldom had its games on American national television? You can’t go a couple of days now without finding them somewhere. Tuesday’s game was on TNT. Friday against Portland is on ESPN. Last Friday’s game was on ESPN. Next Tuesday’s home game against Houston is on TNT, as is the home game two nights later against the Los Angeles Lakers. “I don’t really know what’s coming sometimes,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said before the game. “They say we’re on TNT tomorrow, and I’m like: Again? So I think it’s an honour for us. It means a lot, obviously. Our team and our organization has done a lot over the last 51⁄ 2, six years to deserve a little bit of this recognition.”
á Up next: Another 8 p.m. start, this one on Friday to mark the lone visit by the Portland Trail Blazers to Scotiabank Arena.