We have seen the Boston Celtics go through their share of ups and downs, but nothing quite like the 111-91 shellacking they took at the hands of the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.
That run, that game-changing surge that has been a major part of the Celtics’ success this season, never came.
MORE CELTICS
Boston was particularly at its worst in the second quarter, with Toronto’s backups doing significant damage in the second quarter (Toronto outscored Boston 36-19 in the second) that fueled Toronto’s 58-37 halftime lead.
It was a big win for the Raptors who seemingly overwhelmed the Celtics in several phases of play.
“I didn’t think we were ready physically, for whatever reason,” said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.
Boston Celtics
This was one of the few games in which the Celtics seemingly had no one to elevate their play.
“I didn’t think anybody on our team was great tonight or at their very best,” Stevens said. “I just think if you look at our whole team, coaches, players, we just weren’t good enough.”
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s 111-91 loss to Toronto which was the ninth time Boston has lost in Toronto in their last 10 matchups.
STARS
Kyle Lowry: He was really aggressive at the outset offensively, finishing with a game-high 23 points in just three quarters of action.
Toronto bench: The Raptor’s second unit outscored Boston 59-51, but a good number of points scored by Boston came when the game was all but decided with both teams clearing their benches.
STUDS
Kyrie Irving: Returning to action after missing the last three games with a right quadriceps bruise, Irving had a solid but far from spectacular return with 17 points and three assists.
Terry Rozier: The aggressiveness that he promised to play with now that he’s back to coming off the bench, was apparent on Tuesday. He led the Celtics with 18 points along with five rebounds and four assists.
C.J.Miles: Several Toronto players gave the Celtics problems, including Miles who had 20 points off the Raptors bench.
DUDS
Al Horford: The Raptors did a great job of taking Horford out of most plays, most of the night. He would finish with just two points on 1-for-5 shooting with six rebounds and two blocked shots.