Celtics fall to Raptors in preseason finale

Vets and rookies came to play in Boston’s preseason loss to Toronto.

By Alexandria Evans

The Raptors killed the Celtic’s chances of a perfect preseason after a narrow one-point win on
Tuesday.

Despite being down by as many as 24 points at one point, the C’s still managed to claw back and
make it a game. Unable to close out the Raptor’s Gradey Dick and Scottie Barnes-led offense,
they came barely came up short, finishing 118-119.

The Celtics had an overall mediocre shooting night, going 8-for-28 from behind the arc in the
second half.

Boston’s big five had a decent enough showing, with Jayson Tatum leading the way. The power
forward finished the night going 9-22 on field goals with 24 points. Tatum also lit up Scotiabank
Arena with a poster dunk on Bruno Fernando, showing the league he’s already in regular-season
form. The rest of the starting five featured Jaylen Brown, with 19 points and 6-for-15 from the
field, Derrick White, with 23 points and 7-for-20 FG, and Payton Pritchard, filling in for Jrue
Holiday went 5-for-11 with 15 points. Al Horford, who played 23 minutes, had a particularly
rough preseason final, going 1-for-6 on FG, 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, and just two points.

Tuesday’s matchup also featured flashes from younger members of the C’s, including
performances from Jordan Walsh and JD Davison, who helped lead the attempted second-half
comeback with a few three-pointers.

Regardless of Tuesday’s loss, Boston still managed an admirable preseason, with an overall 4-1
record. For now, they will adjust lineups and adhere to any issues in the week ahead of their
season opener.

The Celtics will open their season at home against the New York Knicks on Tuesday, October
22, at 7:30pm.