Double Jays rip Raptors
Celtics maul champs as Nets, Magic grab NBA playoff spots
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum powered the Boston Celtics to a 122-100 rout of defending NBA champions Toronto, keeping the Raptors from clinching the Eastern Conference second seed.
Brown scored 20 points, Tatum added 18 and Kemba Walker added 17 for the Celtics (46-23), who pulled within 3.5 games of second-place Toronto and three ahead of fourthplace Miami.
“We’re getting there,” Tatum said.
“I don’t want to put a cap on it, say where our ceiling is, but we’re improving every day and we don’t want to stop.”
The Celtics, who boasted seven double-figure scorers, never trailed against the NBA’s second-best defensive squad, jumping ahead 52-37 at half-time and outscoring the Raptors 39-20 in the third quarter.
“I don’t think it’s a surprise when your attack is dialled in like that,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.
Fred VanVleet led Toronto with only 13 points, but the Celtics and Raptors could face each other in the second round of the playoffs and both sides know it could be much different.
“They are a good team,” Tatum said. “We’ll probably see them again.”
The Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic clinched the last two berths in the East playoffs in different fashions.
Brooklyn, led by 22 points from Caris LeVert and 21 from Joe Harris, routed Sacramento 119-106.
The Nets (33-36) ensured ninth-place
Washington could not pull within four games to force a play-in series under NBA restart rules.
Orlando (32-38) had a chance to win and seal a berth but the Philadelphia 76ers rallied in the second half to beat the Magic 108-101.
Instead, the Magic reached the playoffs when Washington lost to New Orleans 118107, leaving the Wizards (24-45) the only winless bubble team and too far back to threaten Orlando. Cameroonian star Joel Embiid had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the 76ers while Tobias Harris added 23 points and 15 rebounds, Al Horford scored 21 and reserve Alec Burks contributed 22.
The Magic began the fourth quarter with a 3-for-17 shooting slump from the floor and the 76ers, missing Australian star Ben Simmons due to a left knee injury, went on a 9-1 run over 4:30 for a 97-87 edge to seal it.