The Boston Celtics are back in control of their second-round series with the Toronto Raptors. After losing Games 3 and 4, the Celtics recuperated in a major way on Monday night, controling Game 5 from start to finish to take a 111-89 win, and a 3-2 series lead..
Boston led from start to complete and set the tone early by holding the Raptors to just 11 points in the first quarter. They controlled on both ends of the flooring and led by as much as 30 at one point in the 2nd half. Jaylen Brown recovered from a brutal Game 4 performance to blaze a trail with 27 points and six rebounds, and all five beginners scored in double figures..
The Raptors got off to a miserable start in Game 5, and were never able to recover. Their 11 first-quarter points connected a franchise record for second-fewest points in any playoff quarter, and they could not keep the Celtics in front of them on the other end. Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam both struggled strongly, integrating for only 20 points..
Here are three essential takeaways from the game:.
1. Celtics control defensively.
The Celtics were one of the finest defensive teams in the league in the regular season, finishing fourth with a defensive rating of 104.6. They put that ability on complete screen in Game 5, locking down the Raptors all game long to secure a crucial take and win control of the series..
It took the Raptors 2 and a half minutes to even get on the board, which foreshadowed how the rest of the game would play out. The Celtics held them to 11 points in the entire first quarter, which connected a Toronto record for second-fewest points in any quarter in franchise playoff history..
For the video game, the Raptors shot 38.8 percent from the field, 30 percent from the 3-point line and turned the ball over 13 times. And it wasnt a case of simply missing shots. The Celtics were hammering out screens, keeping the Raptors guards in front of them, contesting shots both outdoors and inside and in general making life incredibly difficult for the Raptors..
Heres a perfect example from the very first quarter, which reveals just how secured the Celtics were. Daniel Theis gets changed onto Kyle Lowry and stays down on his pump phonies, shuts down numerous drive efforts and eventually forces an airball. When Lowry cant even enter the paint against an opposing center, you understand its a difficult night..
2. Jaylen gets better.
Jaylen Brown was, to put it bluntly, very bad in Game 4. No one on the Celtics played all that well, however Browns 4 of 18 shooting efficiency stuck out, and he scored a playoff-low 14 points in the loss. With Gordon Hayward still out due to an ankle injury, the Celtics cant pay for nights like that from Brown..
They didnt have to worry about him on Monday night. He drained pipes a 3-pointer on the first ownership, and was off and running, turning in a game-high 27 points on 10 of 18 from the field, to accompany 6 rebounds and 3 steals. The majority of encouraging was that he was having fun with force and self-confidence on both ends of the floor..
His poster dunk over OG Anunoby late in the very first quarter was not just the play of the video game, but one of the highlights of the whole postseason up until now. When Brown is playing like this, the Celtics are really hard to beat..
3. Protecting champs on the edge.
After decreasing 2-0 to begin this series, the Raptors showed fantastic fight to even things up at 2-2, thanks in large part to OG Anunobys wonder game-winner in Game 3. However for whatever reason, they didnt bring out the energy or effort essential for an essential Game 5.
Now, the protecting champions are on the edge of elimination. Theyll need to win two straight games to keep their season going, and become simply the 8th group this years to recuperate from a 2-0 series deficit. While they did it last season in the Eastern Conference finals, they dont have Kawhi Leonard this time around.
And if that wasnt bad enough, the chances are seriously stacked against them. NBA groups who win Game 5 of a matchup that was tied 2-2 go on to take the series 82 percent of the time. Its going to take some serious work from the Raptors to climb out of this hole and win two video games in a row for the 2nd time in this series..
The Raptors got off to a miserable start in Game 5, and were never ever able to recover. For the video game, the Raptors shot 38.8 percent from the field, 30 percent from the 3-point line and turned the ball over 13 times. Jaylen Brown was, to put it candidly, extremely bad in Game 4. Theyll have to win 2 straight video games to keep their season going, and become just the eighth group this decade to recuperate from a 2-0 series deficit. NBA groups who win Game 5 of a matchup that was connected 2-2 go on to take the series 82 percent of the time.
