Field Level Media
Oct 25, 2019
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum each scored 25 points, and Kemba Walker had 11 of his 22 in the fourth quarter as the Boston Celtics rallied past the visiting Toronto Raptors 112-106 in their home opener Friday.
Gordon Hayward had 15 points, and Marcus Smart 10 as the Celtics improved to 1-1 on the season.
Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 33 points, and Kyle Lowry had 29 for the Raptors, who lost their first after a win in their opener Tuesday.
Boston took 31 more shots than Toronto in the contest, though the Celtics shot 38.5 percent (42 of 109).
A Hayward 3-pointer put Boston up for good, 107-104, with 3:27 to go. A pair of Siakam free throws got Toronto within one, but the Raptors would score no more, with Brown hitting a three with 2:49 left for a four-point Celtics lead.
The Raptors entered the fourth quarter up 82-76. To that point, the six-point advantage matched the largest lead by either team in the game.
Toronto finally forged ahead by seven when Lowry drilled a three with 9:47 left for an 89-82 lead. Walker scored nine straight points to get Boston within two on two occasions, and his layup with 7:02 left got the Celtics within 95-93.
Serge Ibaka drilled a three for a 98-93 Raptors lead, but a 6-0 Celtics run put Boston ahead with 5:43 to go.
Toronto went back ahead on a Siakam basket, but Grant Williams responded with a layup for a 101-100 Celtics edge. Tatum sunk a three with 4:33 to go to put Boston up by four.
The Raptors tied the score at 104 when Siakam converted an alley-oop at 3:41.
The Celtics entered halftime up 50-49. Brown led Boston at the half with 13 points, and Lowry paced Toronto with 11.
During the second quarter, Celtics big man Daniel Theis sustained a left ankle sprain with 8:13 left on the clock. Though he limped to the locker room under his own power, he returned to start the third.
Boston ended the first quarter up 22-21.
--Field Level Media