The Boston Celtics spoiled the Toronto Raptors' first Christmas Day game at home, pulling out a 118-102 win in convincing fashion. The Raptors were fighting an uphill battle with Pascal Siakam (groin injury), Marc Gasol (hamstring injury) and Norman Powell (shoulder injury) all sidelined for the game.
It looked like the Raptors would be able to play the Celtics close after starting the game on a 10–0 run, but after the Celtics responded with a 9-0 run of their own, they controlled the game from that point on.
Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown put on an offensive clinic for Boston, combining for 52 points, and knocking down 10 3-pointers. Both were one 3-point shot shy of tying the Christmas Day record of six made 3s, but after the Celtics built up a 22-point lead, his night was finished early in the fourth quarter.
The Raptors had solid production from Chris Boucher off the bench, who finished the day with a career-high 24 points, and after starting slow, Fred VanVleet tacked on another 27 points. However, it wasn't nearly enough to overcome Boston's three-point shooting.
Here are three takeaways from NBA Christmas Day's opening game:
The Raptors sorely missed their sidelined stars
Toronto has dealt with injuries all season long, but missing Siakam, Gasol and Powell all at once is likely the biggest blow they've suffered so far. Without Siakam's playmaking ability and lockdown defense, the Raptors had to rely heavily on their bench to get the job done, and aside from Boucher, they fell flat. Kyle Lowry was kept in check for most of the game, and other than VanVleet's 27 points, no one in the starting lineup could get anything going.
The Boston Celtics spoiled the Toronto Raptors' first Christmas Day game at home, pulling out a 118-102 win in convincing fashion. The Raptors were fighting an uphill battle with Pascal Siakam (groin injury), Marc Gasol (hamstring injury) and Norman Powell (shoulder injury) all sidelined for the game.
The Raptors sorely missed their sidelined stars
Toronto has dealt with injuries all season long, but missing Siakam, Gasol and Powell all at once is likely the biggest blow they've suffered so far. Without Siakam's playmaking ability and lockdown defense, the Raptors had to rely heavily on their bench to get the job done, and aside from Boucher, they fell flat. Kyle Lowry was kept in check for most of the game, and other than VanVleet's 27 points, no one in the starting lineup could get anything going.
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