Toronto Raptors – Kyle Lowry (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
The Toronto Raptors are now losers of three straight, with the latest defeat being an overtime loss to the Boston Celtics. As a team it was a disappointment, but how did they perform individually?
Losing three in a row is never good news. However, considering the circumstances, the Toronto Raptors loss to the Boston Celtics isn’t the end of the world.
Despite their somewhat middling record (9-6), the Boston Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA. Picking up a win in a hostile T.D. garden was never going to be easy. Doing it with injuries to C.J. Miles, Norman Powell, and (for one half) OG Anunoby, was going to be even more onerous.
Yet, with only seconds remaining on the clock, the Raptors had their chance for victory. Toronto fought all night in a back-and-forth battle which failed to see either team take control for anything more than a few minutes.
After a quick Toronto advantage, Boston led for most of the first half. Then the Raptors fought back. A Toronto run from about midway through the second quarter until halftime, put the Raptors down just two heading into the break.
Toronto led through most of the third and the early part of the fourth quarter. Boston countered and the late fourth quarter was a tightly contested battle.
Kyrie Irving was unconscious in the fourth. He shot 7-10, scoring 19 points. His fourth-quarter performance, along with a couple of timely Jayson Tatum baskets tied the game with just over 24 seconds on the clock.
The game came down to one possession. A Kawhi Leonard isolation at the top of the key. He settled for a contested mid-range jumper. Brick. The game goes to overtime.
Overtime was all Boston. Between injuries and a foul trouble, Toronto was forced to play lineups which have never seen the court together. The Celtics won the overtime relatively easily, handing Toronto their third straight loss.
It was a tough game for the Raptors as a whole, but how did they fare as individuals? We take a look with our game grades.