BOSTON – The Celtics got his game right, dominating the Raptors in a 125-71 win Tuesday at TD Garden. While the C’s got off to a slow start offensively, they overwhelmed the Raptors in the second half. The New Year’s Eve win moves the Celtics to 24-9 while the Raptors fall to 7-26. The C’s returned Jrue Holiday to the lineup, though Kristaps Porzingis missed his third straight game.
It was a slow start for the Celtics as they made just one of their first 11 shots, including an 0-7 3-point showing. But the Raptors struggled even more, scoring just 12 points in the first quarter, a team-low season in a quarter for a Celtics rival. The one game game continued from there with a 45-35 C lead at halftime.
The shots finally started to fall for the Celtics in the second half as they pulled away from the Raptors. After a 45-point first half, the C’s added 45 points in the third quarter alone. Jayson Tatum, after a slow start, had 18 points in the third quarter to tie the Raptors as a team in the frame.
Tatum finished with 23 points and eight rebounds. Payton Pritchard had 19 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench. Scottie Barnes had 16 points and 13 rebounds, though he shot 7-for-19 from the field. Jakob Poeltl also finished with seven points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors.
The Celtics enter 2025 with a a complicated schedule and a four-game road trip. They face the Timberwolves at 7:30pm on Thursday in Minnesota for their next game. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Toronto:
Bounce back: The Celtics weren’t good enough against the Pacers last time, but they were much better against a struggling Raptors team. It also helped Toronto miss its first 14 3-pointers of the game. While the Raptors finally found a rhythm, it wasn’t enough to threaten the Celtics. The Raptors shot 27-of-86 (31.4 percent) from the field on Tuesday as the Celtics held them in check throughout the game.
Paving the way: The Celtics boast talent up and down their roster, but it was the guards who led the way on Tuesday. Derrick White had 16 points and four blocks while Holiday had 14 points and three steals. Last season’s All-Defensive team selections were active everywhere. Holiday’s return to the lineup after a three-game absence was also what the C’s needed. As a bonus, another strong game from Pritchard kept them afloat in the first half as he shot 5-for-8 on 3-pointers.
Warming up: While Sam Hauser had a slow start to the season with some back issues, the shooter finished December strong from a percentage standpoint. He shot 4-of-7 for 12 points Tuesday before being called up early. That means that in the month of December, Hauser finished shooting 42.6% from deep. He missed a few games with the back issue, but it’s a positive sign for the Celtics that Hauser is hitting 3s at an elite clip again.
Here comes the new year: Even though the Celtics won a decent game on Tuesday, they will be tested immediately in January. They embark on a four-game road trip where they face the Timberwolves, Rockets, Thunder and Nuggets, all West teams looking to make some noise in the playoffs. The schedule isn’t shrinking as the C’s will need to play quality basketball to take advantage of Tuesday’s win.
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