BOSTON — Make it 1-0 for the Boston Celtics in their “City Edition” jerseys. But it wasn’t easy even against the lowly Toronto Raptors.
The new look certainly didn’t bring the Celtics any superpowers as they played down to the far less talented Raptors for parts of three quarters. But the Celtics did just barely enough to squeak out a 126-123 overtime win at the buzzer Saturday night at TD Garden.
The Raptors outworked the Celtics to take a seven-point lead — their largest of the game — midway through the third quarter. But then Boston rallied back and went back-and-forth with the Raptors in the fourth quarter and overtime before Jayson Tatum stepped up as the hero for Boston.
Here are three studs and three duds from Boston’s win way too close of a win over the Raptors:
STUDS
Jayson Tatum
Tatum got redemption. It looked like it was going to be an awful ending to Tatum’s performance when he bricked a wide-open free-throw line jumper as time expired in regulation, which would have lifted the Celtics to a win. He made the most of his second chance, though, hitting a deep, buzzer-beating 3-pointer in overtime to give the Celtics the win. Tatum tallied a near triple-double by scoring 24, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out nine assists.
Jaylen Brown
Brown was hounded by the Raptors defense all night, but he fought through to deliver a big-time performance. He fought Toronto’s aggression with some of his own, getting to the free-throw line 10 times and making nine attempts. He also came up with a block and buried two key 3-pointers in the extra frame. He finished with a team-high 27 points to go along with seven assists and six rebounds.
Jakob Poeltl
Poeltl almost became a member of the Celtics two seasons ago — the San Antonio Spurs reportedly rejected Boston’s offer and sent him to Toronto — and he showed Boston what it missed out on. The veteran big man was an absolute force, scoring a game-high 35 points on a highly efficient 16-for-19 shooting. He also grabbed 12 rebounds. With the craze of the 3-point shot in the modern NBA, Poeltl delivered a throwback performance by going to work exclusively in the paint.
DUDS
Payton Pritchard
Pritchard has continuously provided a spark off the bench this season with his long-range shooting, but he didn’t have the touch to ignite the Celtics against the Raptors. Pritchard missed all six of his shots in the first half — five of which were from 3-point land — and finished with six points on 2-for-8 shooting. Pritchard did hit back-to-back treys in the third quarter which spurred the Celtics, but Boston needed more from him.
Gradey Dick
The Raptors have high hopes for Dick after selecting him in 13th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. But the soon-to-be 21-year-old did not look like a lottery pick against the Celtics. Dick is known for his shooting ability, but he struggled mightily with his shot. He went a putrid 3-for-12 from the floor to come away with nine points. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard did create some unintentional comedy though when guarded by Derrick White.
Celtics paint protection
Whether it is designed this way by Mazzulla, the weakness of the Celtics defense is by far rim protection. And the Raptors exploited it by scoring 76 points in the paint. The Raptors only hit nine 3-pointers, but that didn’t matter with Toronto continually getting in close and finishing high-percentage shots. Boston’s rim protection should improve when Kristaps Porzingis returns, but at the moment, it’s abysmal.
