The Toronto Raptors (27-15) defeated the Boston Celtics (22-21) 115-109 in a game full of momentum swings on Wednesday night.
In a battle between two stout defenses, guarding your opponent became an optional aspect of this game. Not only did both teams shoot over 50 percent from the field, both squads nearly reached the century mark to start the fourth quarter. The two teams defensive natures took over after that though, as they combined for just 38 points in the final 12 minutes. It was truly a game of swings and that's evident by the box score. The Raptors won the first quarter 35-27 and the third quarter 40-28. The only reason the Celtics hung around is because they won the second quarter 35-21. Those are just bizarre scores from quarter-to-quarter and both coaches must've needed heavy doses of Ibuprofen after a game like this. The starting units are what made the difference for the Raptors, as they outscored the Celtics starting-five 90-62.
This result is indicative of where this Celtics team is right now, as they are on the border of being a contender, but haven’t quite hurdled over that hump yet. Isaiah Thomas has been the teams best player this season and while he had the best night of any Boston player on Wednesday, he made two crucial turnovers late that ultimately helped the Raptors get their win. With that said, those were his only two turnovers on the night while recording a 21-point 10-assist double-double. The second-unit was spectacular for Boston tonight and single-handedly kept them in the game, as Kelly Olynyk, Marcus Smart and Evan Tuner all had at least six points, four rebounds and four assists in the defeat with Olynyk leading the group by dropping 18 points. This was still a good showing from this Boston team and they continue to battle elite teams in difficult environments. Up next for the Celtics is another tough task against the Chicago Bulls on Friday.
Toronto has quietly been taking care of business over recent weeks and they now sit in the two-seed in the East at the midpoint of the year. Much of that has to be credited to DeMar DeRozan, who had yet another great game here. DeRozan finished with 34 points and six assists while hitting some daggers in the final minutes to cap off the win. Jonas Valanciunas also had an impressive outing, as he went 9-for-9 from the field to accumulate 19 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Luis Scola also put in an 18-point, five-rebound line and he's been a darkhorse hero for this team all season. Toronto will look to keep the momentum going on Friday in their next game against the reeling Miami Heat.
