Gameday: Raptors @ Celtics, November 16

Second night of a back to back for the Toronto Raptors and they face none other than the defending champions, the Boston Celtics. Even if Toronto was at full strength it would be an arduous task to defeat Boston, so with this diminished roster, it will be even more difficult. Anything can happen on a nightly basis in the NBA, but it will take a herculean effort from Toronto to pull out a win here.

The Boston Celtics are number two in offensive rating and their offense is extremely potent due to having so many skillful players who can not only attack with the ball in their hands, but also shoot three pointers efficiently as well. They’re led by Jayson Tatum who is currently averaging 30.2 points per game. Tatum has been shooting the lights out this season while also still being a very strong driver, so containing him will not be simple for Toronto. The dilemma that teams face when guarding Boston is that you can’t help off of most of their floor spacers, if Tatum or Jaylen Brown have a one on one or a middle pick n’ roll, any player who helps is likely leaving a more than capable shooter open, which falls into Boston’s offensive scheme. 

Boston as a team is attempting 50.4 threes per game and averaging 18.8 three point makes per game, both of which are number one in the league. This volume from behind the arc has drawn scrutiny from many people, but at the end of the day, it is leading them to wins, and for Toronto to have a chance in this game they’re going to get quality looks from three as well.

Although Toronto is heavily injured, some of the lineups that head coach Darko Rajakovic has been throwing onto the floor have just been abysmal. You can not have both RJ Barrett and Gradey Dick on the bench simultaneously, it is a recipe for disaster, and a nightmare for any sort of offensive desire. As has been the case with plenty of Raptors games this season, in order to win they’re going to need guys to play above their normal level. Chris Boucher hitting a couple of threes would be excellent, Davion Mitchell getting into the paint consistently would be welcome, Jakob Poetl had 25 points and 19 rebounds last night, something like that will be needed in order to win tonight. 

Overall this game will be an uphill battle for Toronto, but this team has been battling against the odds all season long, and have shown that they can hang around even without their star players being healthy, so you never know what can happen.

Broadcast Info 

Tip-Off: 8:00 p.m. ET  

Television: SN 

Radio: Sportsnet 590 

Raptors Lineup (projected) 

PG: Davion Mitchell  

SG: Gradey Dick  

SF: Ochai Agbaji   

PF: RJ Barrett   

C: Jakob Poeltl  

Celtics Lineup (projected) 

PG: Payton Pritchard 

SG: Derrick White 

SF: Jaylen Brown  

PF: Jayson Tatum 

C: Al Horford 

Injury Report (Not official)  

Celtics 

Jrue Holiday (Knee) – Questionable

Jaden Springer(Knee) – Questionable

Kristaps Porzingis(Foot) – Out

Raptors  

Immanuel Quickley (Elbow sprain) – Out 

Scottie Barnes (Orbital fracture) – Out 

Ja’Kobe Walter (Shoulder) – Questionable 

Kelly Olynyk (Back) – Questionable  

Bruce Brown Jr. (Knee) – Out

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