As division rivals, the Celtics and Raptors are plenty familiar with one another.
This week, with two meetings scheduled in a three-day span at TD Garden, that familiarity should only deepen. And if they meet in the postseason next week, competitive contempt is sure to follow.
Pending the regular-season scores set to be settled later this week, and the play-in tournament that will follow, the Celtics could face Toronto in the first-round of the playoffs. Boston started Wednesday all but guaranteed to clinch the No. 2 seed in the East, while the Raptors have already clinched a spot in the play-in tournament. Toronto entered tip-off trailing Miami by two games for the No.7 seed and tied with the Hawks with a 40-39 record.
Miami did not play Wednesday. The Hawks hosted Washington and will visit the Celtics on Sunday in their regular-season finale.
Although the Raptors would enter a first-round series as heavy underdogs, their wing-heavy roster tends to put atypical pressure on a Boston team built around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Their defensive depth almost clipped the Celtics in two Boston wins captured earlier this season by a combined eight points. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla summarized Toronto’s roster-building philosophy with a single crack Wednesday.
“They measure everybody’s wingspan before they draft them and then bring in guys with massive wingspans,” he said.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse offered a more detailed assessment in his pregame press conference.
“We like to think one of our strengths is our depth at wing defenders, when we have them all ready to go. Scottie (Barnes), Pascal (Siakam), OG (Anunoby) … we got some depth, and that usually enables us to move those guys around a little bit, switch,” Nurse said. “It gives us a chance sometimes to put some size on what you would call on bigger guards.”
By and large, Toronto’s defenses prevents the Celtics from hunting favorable mismatches through Tatum and Brown, a chief Boston tactic. The Raptors are strong across the floor, ranking 11th in defensive efficiency and second in turnovers forced. Toronto also fortified its rim protection by returning center Jakob Poetl at the trade deadline.
Though, the Raptors’ woes offensively remain constant: they struggle to score in the half-court. If Toronto is not converting its bounty of turnovers into points, it can struggle to generate good looks against quality defensive teams like the Celtics.
Meanwhile, Boston has evolved around Tatum and Brown, adding players like Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon and shooting big men Blake Griffin and Mike Muscala since its last playoff series versus the Raptors in the 2020 bubble.
“They’re so good in so many areas offensively. They’ll beat you in transition, they’re really good from the perimeter, got so many guys that can take it off the bounce to the front of the rim and score, got bigs that can shoot,” Nurse said. “Then they got some guys they can give the ball to and say they can step back and hit a three. There’s a lot to dissect and get ready for.”
Nurse added it’s important for Toronto to play the long game defensively versus the Celtics and remain patient in the face of inevitable mid-game barrages of three or four 3-pointers.
Or maybe through the sting of a regular-season loss knowing a potential playoff rematch could await next week.
Two starters in, two back out.
The Celtics ruled out Tatum and Marcus Smart and welcomed back Brown and Robert Williams to the floor Wednesday against the Raptors.
Tatum has a left hip contusion and Smart is dealing with a neck spasm, per the team. Brown (lower back) and Williams (left knee) missed Tuesday’s game at Philadelphia and started Wednesday. Tatum played one of his worst offensive games of the season against the Sixers, scoring 19 points on 7-of-20 shooting and going a team-worst minus-13. After the game, Smart said he played with a pinched nerve.
Veteran big man Al Horford (lower back) and backup guard Payton Pritchard were also ruled out versus Toronto. Brown and Williams started alongside White, forward Sam Hauser and Muscala, a little-used stretch big.
Wednesday’s game was the first of back-to-back home tests against the Raptors, who earlier this week clinched a spot in the play-in tournament.
The Celtics will host Toronto again Friday night before closing out the regular season Sunday versus Atlanta.
Earlier this week, Tatum starred in his first shoe commercial for Jordan Brand.
On Friday, his first signature shoe – the Jordan Tatum 1 – will be released.
“It’s something I’ve always dreamed about, less than a couple days away. Thankful, grateful, excited, and just enjoying the moment and looking forward to seeing them on kids and grownups’ feet across the country and around the world,” Tatum said this week. “So, I’m happy and looking forward to it.”
The Jordan Tatum 1 will launch in a black and red “Zoo” colorway on Friday. Fans can purchase the shoes via Nike’s website for $120 in adult sizes, $90 in big kids, $75 in little kids and $55 in baby/toddler sizes.
The shoe will have three other color combinations previously unveiled in February, each a tribute to Tatum’s upbringing and family: “St. Louis,” “Barbershop” and “Pink Lemonade.”