4 takeaways as Celtics beat Raptors, fend off rally in clutch win

The Celtics fended off a spirited Raptors team as they came away with the 108-105 victory Friday in Toronto. The Raptors weren’t going down without a fight, but it was the Celtics who emerged victorious as they remained perfect in the in-season tourney.

While the Raptors came out swinging, the Celtics endured the early run. They built up what looked like a comfortable 16-point lead at the start of the second half. But the Raptors stormed back there, erasing that deficit to even take the lead as the Celtics had to fight for the victory Friday.

From there, it was a close game in a physical slugfest. Both teams traded baskets down the stretch when it came to crunch time. It was a close game late, but Derrick White’s 3-pointer ended up as the difference Friday. The Celtics improved to 10-2 on the season, including 2-0 in group play games of the NBA’s in-season tournament.

BET ANYTHINGGET $250 BONUSESPN BET

21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.

Jaylen Brown had 23 points for the Celtics while Jayson Tatum added another 17 points and seven rebounds. Dennis Schroder and Pascal Siakam had 23 points each for Toronto.

The Celtics take on the Grizzlies at 8 p.m. Sunday in Memphis for their next game. Unfortunately, Marcus Smart won’t play because of his foot injury. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Toronto:

Finishing the game: While the Celtics blew their 16-point lead from early in the second half, it gave them an opportunity to close out the win. The Raptors, notably, have impressed in the fourth quarter of games this season, giving the C’s a test. The Celtics clamped down defensively in the final minute of the game. They forced Schroder into a miss then didn’t allow the Raptors to tie the game on a 3-pointer after White put them up after his triple. That’s all the C’s needed to extend their winning streak to five games.

Shooting struggles: While Brown poured in 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting, it was a forgettable shooting night for Tatum. He was just 1-for-11 from 3-point land as the makes didn’t come easy. Tatum was efficient inside the arc on his way to his 17 points, but it was a tough night for him. Still, nothing to worry about for the Celtics considering Tatum came into Friday’s game shooting 39.8% from 3. Luckily for the C’s, Brown was plenty efficient in what was an impressive night for him.

Balanced scoring: There weren’t any massive scoring outbursts from the Celtics, but that was partly because of how they got their points. The C’s had seven players in double-figure scoring, including their entire starting lineup. Notably, the Celtics got solid production from a couple of their bench players. Al Horford continued to shoot well as he finished with 11 points, including knocking down 3-of-4 of their 3-pointers. Sam Hauser also 11 points, hitting 3-of-6 of his 3-pointers. Hauser was a nice lift for the Celtics when the Raptors came out hot to start the game. He even added a rare dunk.

Tourney update: The Celtics are now a perfect 2-0 through two of their four group play games. They still take on the Magic on the road and the Bulls to wrap up their four-game slate over the next couple weeks. Based on how they finish, they could advance to the eight-team bracket, where it’ll be a single elimination tournament from there. As of right now, that’s looking like a solid bet for the C’s to get to the knockout stages.