Celtics go cold from 3 as Raptors tie series up at 2 games each

The Boston Celtics went ice-cold from beyond the arc, dropping Game 4 as Toronto tied the series at two games each on Saturday night.

The Boston Celtics got caught napping at the end of Game 3, and it cost them dearly; they did not plan on repeating that mistake in Game 4.

The Celtics won the tip, but Jayson Tatum turned the ball over, Kyle Lowry getting the Raptors on the board first. Jaylen Brown drew a foul on the next possession to tie the game up from the stripe.

The Raptors got separation early with Pascal Siakam hitting a 3-pointer and Lowry getting to the line repeatedly, but a Kemba Walker trey stopped the bleeding. Toronto kept the pressure on, jumping out to an early 11-4 lead.

Smart hit another 3 to keep the game close, and Walker another to cut the lead to one, but Lowry would hit a third in response. Tatum would tie it at 14, but Fred Van Vleet answered back with another 3, forcing a timeout.

The Raptors were red-hot from deep, building a 23-18 lead despite flushes from Robert Williams III and Tatum, but a 3 from Brad Wanamaker and a make from Theis cut the lead to two, the Raptors carrying a 31-27 lead into the second quarter.

The Celtics began the second frame with Serge Ibaka sinking a 3-pointer, part of an 8-0 run that went on until a Theis jam at the 10-minute mark. Brown would flush the rock shortly after, and a Tatum trip to the stripe cut the lead to 35-33.

Ibaka went on a five-point run of his own around a Tatum layup, and Walker would cut it to three. Smart would tie it at 40 with an and-1, with the teams trading blows for several plays. Boston took a 46-44 lead with Semi Ojeleye going on a 7-0 one-man run, but Van Vleet tied it at 49 going into the break.

The second half started with a Theis dunk, but Marc Gasol answered back on the other end. Again the teams traded makes until Siakam broke free to put Toronto up 59-55 with nine to play in the frame. A hook shot from the wing pushed the lead to seven, but Tatum hit a layup, forcing a timeout.

Another Siakam 3 threatened to break the game open, but Tatum hit another bucket to keep the lead at six. Walker kept Boston in the game from the line as Siakam stayed hot, the Celtics struggling to to get closer than within six points.

Boston called a timeout with a little over three to play in the frame, and Walker would get himself to the line on a 3-point shot coming out of it to cut the lead to four. Van Vleet and Ibaka attacked from 3 to push the lead to 11, forcing another timeout.

The final frame began with a trip to the line for Brown — converting both — to cut the lead to 81-75. A trip to the line for Siakam and a 3 from Lowry set the lead back to 10. Williams got to the line, then cleaned up after Brown to put the lead at six with 9:15 left in the game.

Brown continued to struggle to guard Siakam, but Tatum bailed him out on the other end. An Ibaka make put the lead back at 91-83 with just under seven minutes to go, while Brown hit his first 3 of the game to cut the lead to to five.

Lowry came back with another 3, and Gasol hit a jumper to push the lead to 98-87 with three to play. Coach Brad Stevens challenged a bad entry pass for Boston successfully, and Brown kept the Celtics in the game with a critical 3 at the two-minute mark to cut the lead to 98-90.

Theis would get to the line as Gasol fouled out — missing both — but Tatum cleaned it up with a 3-point play to cut it to five with seconds left in the game. An offensive foul on the other end sent Anunoby to the line to push the lead up to seven.

The Celtics couldn’t find an answer, the series ending up tied 2-2 after the 100-97 loss.

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