TORONTO – Grady Dick led all scorers with 27 points as the Toronto Raptors beat the NBA champion Boston Celtics 119-118 in preseason action Tuesday.
Scotty Barnes nearly recorded a triple-double for Toronto (2-2) with 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Jakob Poeltl recorded a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds, and Ochai Agbaji added 16 points.
Jayson Tatum had 24 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists against Boston (4-1). Derrick White scored 23 points and Jaylen Brown added 19 points.
Raptors rookie guard Jamal Shead left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring strain and did not return. He was one of eight players taken off Toronto’s bench as coach Darko Rajkovic continued to keep his team in shape ahead of their home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 23.
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Celtics: Boston’s bench beat Toronto 115-111 on Sunday with coach Joe Mazula resting all of his biggest stars. Tuesday was Boston’s final preseason game, so he had all his best players on the court, even if it limited their minutes. Mazzulla said the defending NBA champions haven’t changed their mindset since beating the Dallas Mavericks in five games to win the franchise’s 18th title.
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Raptors: Rajkovic said before the game that he wanted to see his team make better decisions from 3-point range. Toronto jumped out to a 19-point lead in the first quarter on 71.4% shooting from beyond the arc, going 30 of 30 for the Celtics’ 27 total points. But the Raptors fell behind in the second after failing to make any of their eight 3-point attempts. Toronto hit 15-of-43 (34.9%) on 3-point attempts.
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Both teams emptied their benches with seven minutes left in the game to limit starter minutes and prevent injuries before the regular season. Toronto maintained a five-point lead as reserve players began to take the court.
But the bench players did not give up.
JD Davidson hit three free throws in the final two minutes of the game for the Celtics. Boston guard Jordan Walsh, who usually plays in the G League, tied the score at 115-115 with 48.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Raptors backup guard DJ Carton was fouled on the next possession and sank both free throws to create a two-point lead. Davidson then hit a 28-foot 3-pointer to retake the lead. Carton made consecutive free throws with 11.7 seconds left in the game.
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Barnes played 30 minutes in only his third basketball game in the past seven months. He needed season-ending surgery after breaking his hand on March 1. Barnes also missed Toronto’s first preseason game for personal reasons. The All-Star forward made 10 of 17 field goals, including 5 of 9 on 3-pointers.
next
The Raptors visit the Brooklyn Nets on Friday in their final preseason game.
The Celtics host the New York Knicks in their home opener next Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
