Raptors Lose to Celtics 116-110 at Home

The Raptors came up short against the Celtics at home on Monday, losing 116-110 and dropping to a 12-12 NBA record on the season. The loss marked only the third loss at Scotiabank Arena this year for Toronto, who have been exceptional at home. 

Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics, scoring 31 points to go with his 12 rebounds. Jaylen Brown chipped in with 22 points and Marcus Smart with 18. Boston lifted their league-leading record to 20-5, putting them two games ahead of the Bucks for the top spot in the East.

The main bright spot for the Raptors was Pascal Siakam who managed to notch 29 points, 8 boards and 7 assists. Scottie Barnes finished with 21 points and Gary Trent Jr. added 20 for the Raptors. Fred VanVleet continued his dry spell, with 3-14 shooting and only 8 points.

The Celtics shot 48.9% from the field compared to the 45.9% of the Raptors and were able to hit 13 from behind the arc, over the 10 3-pointers from Toronto. The big difference however came in assists, as the Celtics were able to tally 27 to the 19 from the Raptors.

Game Summary

The Raptors kept pace with a dominant Celtics team throughout the first half, even leading by as many as 10 at one point. The two teams went into halftime 62-56 in favour of the Raptors with a good close out to the second quarter.

It was the third period however that the Celtics were able to pull away behind 17 points from All-Star Jason Tatum. This was only one point less than the whole Raptors team managed to score in the third quarter. The Celtics led 91-80 going into the fourth.

Despite making a few runs in the 4th quarter, as a three pointer by Gary Trent and three-point play by Barnes pulled Toronto back to within six with 2:12 to play. The lead was cut down even further to 4 into the final minute of play but the Celtics were able to hold on thanks to a clutch tip-shot by Blacke Griffin.

Who’s next for the Raptors?

Next up for the Raptors are the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Wednesday the 7th of December. The Lakers look to be rejuvenated after an appalling start to the season. With big names like Lebron James and Anthony Davis in town, the game should draw a big following.

If you’d like to bet on the upcoming Raptors games check out our list of the best NBA betting sites in Ontario.