Celtics start strong as defense sets tone in quiet arena, turn down Raptors’ loud response for win

“It was a weird game,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “It was a weird environment. It was one of those situations where we had to constantly fight to create our own energy.”

A quiet start would have been understandable for the Celtics, who just completed a grueling stretch of games that included a lot of travel, not much sleep, and plenty of tough opponents. Instead, they instantly set the tone with their defensive intensity.

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Over the first two minutes they deflected one pass after another, blocked three shots, forced seven consecutive misses, and informed the Raptors that even if the arena was a bit sleepy, they had no intention of blending into the calm.

“We talked about defense before the game and it was a big emphasis,” Derrick White said, “and it kind of carried us throughout some tough stretches today.”

The Celtics held the Raptors to 40 percent shooting overall and 12.5 percent (4 of 32) from the 3-point line. They withstood a 21-3 rally that filled up most of the third quarter and answered with their own 22-4 surge, methodically crafting a 105-96 win.

All-Star Jaylen Brown missed the game because of a hyperextended knee. In past years, that would simply add to the scoring burden absorbed by Jayson Tatum.

And the Raptors were as aware of Tatum’s presence as ever, constantly sending double teams in his direction. But time and again Tatum calmly, efficiently and purposefully found open teammates rather than forcing contested attempts. His trust in the other pieces has never been clearer, and neither have the results. He had 19 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 win.

“I could try to beat the double every time or shoot over it,” Tatum said. “But don’t get bored making the right play over and over again.”

Jrue Holiday and White were two of the primary recipients of his generosity. The two scored a team-high 22 points apiece.

Holiday, a former All-Star, said he would happily continue to embrace wide-open shots if opponents continue to spend their time swarming Tatum and leaving him wide open. Holiday had 10 first-quarter points and drilled a pair of big fourth-quarter 3-pointers to help turn back a Toronto rally.

White spent much of the night shepherding the second unit, a task that often falls to Tatum. He drained five 3-pointers, none bigger than his last. After White missed a pair of chances in the lane while the Raptors were clawing back in the final few minutes, Tatum threw a cross-court jump-pass to him in the right corner.

It was a tough, awkward angle, but it was also a shot White has worked on constantly with assistant coach Matt Reynolds. He drilled the three with 1:17 left, giving Boston a 103-96 lead.

“Just keep believing in the work and trust that if you do it’s going to turn for you,” White said. “So just rise up and shoot with confidence.”

The Celtics led 61-55 at halftime, but given Toronto’s shooting struggles it felt as if the advantage should have been larger. After scoring the final 5 points of the half, the Raptors carried that run into the third quarter with their 21-3 surge that was capped by a Pascal Siakam basket with 7:27 left that gave Toronto a 71-64 lead.

But Boston zone defense slowed Toronto’s rejuvenated attack and on offense Tatum took over, either slicing through the lane for dunks or layups, or finding wide-open teammates when he met resistance. In the final minute of the third, he hit Luke Kornet for a dunk and Payton Pritchard for a 3-pointer, capping Boston’s 20-4 answer that gave it an 84-75 lead at the start of the fourth.

“[The zone] is something we’ve been working on that we feel like can be helpful down the road,” Tatum said. “We [mess] it up sometimes, but just our communication, I think we’re always just talking. Everybody has to be out there talking, and I think that it’s fun being in that defense.”

The Raptors made a final push and had a chance to pull within 1 on an Immanuel Quickley 3-pointer with 1:39 left. But that long ball, like so many of the others that preceded it, was off. And White handled the rest.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.