TORONTO — Gradey Dick led all scorers with 27 points as the Toronto Raptors beat the NBA champion Boston Celtics 119-118 on Tuesday in pre-season action.
Scottie Barnes nearly had a triple-double with 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for Toronto (2-2). Jakob Poeltl had a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds and Ochai Agbaji added 16 points.
Jayson Tatum had 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Boston (4-1). Derrick White scored 23 points and Jaylen Brown added 19.
Raptors rookie guard Jamal Shead left the game in the second quarter with hamstring tightness and did not return. He was one of eight players who came off Toronto's bench as head coach Darko Rajakovic continues to work his team into shape before the home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 23.
TAKEAWAYS
Celtics: Boston's bench beat Toronto 115-111 on Sunday with head coach Joe Mazzulla resting all of his biggest stars. Because Tuesday was Boston's final pre-season game, he put all of his best-available players out on the court, even if he limited their minutes. Mazzulla said the defending NBA champions hadn't changed their mindset since beating the Dallas Mavericks in five games to win the franchise's 18th title.
Raptors: Rajakovic said pre-game that he wanted to see his team make better decisions from three-point range. Toronto built a 19-point lead in the first quarter on 71.4 per cent shooting from beyond the arc, scoring 30 points on threes alone to the Celtics' 27 overall points. But then the Raptors fell behind in the second when none of their eight three-point attempts went in. Toronto went 15 for 43 (34.9 per cent) on its three-point attempts.
KEY MOMENT
Both teams flushed their benches with seven minutes left to play to limit their starters' minutes and prevent injuries before the regular season. Toronto held a five-point lead as the reserve players started to come on to the floor.
The bench players didn't let up, however.
JD Davison made three free throws in the final two minutes of play for the Celtics. Boston guard Jordan Walsh — who normally plays in the G-League — then tied it 115-115 with 48.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Raptors backup guard D.J. Carton was fouled on the next possession and sank both free throws for a two-point lead. Davison then drilled a 28-foot three-pointer to re-take the lead. Carton made back-to-back free throws with 11.7 seconds left on the clock for the game's final score.
KEY STAT
Barnes played 30 minutes in only his third basketball game in the past seven months. He needed season-ending surgery after he broke his hand on March 1. Barnes also missed the first game of Toronto's pre-season for personal reasons. The all-star forward went 10 for 17 on field goals including 5 for 9 three-point shooting.
UP NEXT
The Raptors visit the Brooklyn Nets on Friday in their final game of the pre-season.
The Celtics host the New York Knicks next Tuesday in their home opener.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press