Tag: east semis

Tremont Waters available vs. Raptors; had been out with knee sprain

Boston Celtics two way point guard Tremont Waters will be available to play vs. the Toronto Raptors in Game 4, per the team.

The Boston Celtics have announced that two way point guard Tremont Waters has been upgraded to available after spending the last several playoff games sidelined with a sprained knee.

That leaves veteran forward Gordon Hayward (right ankle sprain), rookie small forward Javonte Green (right knee surgery) and first-year big man Vincent Poirier (attending the birth of his child) as remaining players on the Celtics’ injury list as of now.

Waters has not yet graced the floor of the 2020 NBA Playoffs during both the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors series, but averaged 3.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while with the parent club.

The Connecticut native spent most of his 2019-20 season with the Maine Red Claws for his two way assignment, winning G League Rookie of the Year honors for that league while showing he can run an NBA-level offense when given the chance.

It’s unlikely Waters will see much if any floor time in this contest, but having his depth back as an option is absolutely a positive in such a tough series.

[lawrence-related id=41232,40089,37634,37579]

For Boston’s Theis, better overall play the remedy for Game 3 loss

Boston starting center Daniel Theis knows the Celtics wouldn’t have lost Game 3 to the Toronto Raptors had they played better earlier.

Boston Celtics starting center Daniel Theis doesn’t sound like he lost too much sleep over the Celtics’ last second loss to the Toronto Raptors Thursday, but he does sound like he knows where to focus his attention to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Less than a second of game time after making what seemed like a game-winning dunk, Theis had to watch helplessly too far away from the play to stop small forward OG Anunoby turn around and sink a desperation 3-pointer.

That somehow went in after an equally miraculous pass by guard Kyle Lowry past 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall.

“Obviously, it was painful yesterday,” shared Theis in a presser on Friday.

“We should never come into a situation we’re up 10 at halftime and [we] just blew the lead at the beginning of the third. So, it’s all about us; we’ve got to play better next towards the beginning of the games [and] in the third quarter so we don’t get in a situation like this to lose the game on the last shot.”

“It’s motivation, because we’re still up two to one, and we want to bounce back and play our way in the next game,” he added.

Whether or not the Celtics can dictate those terms will likely go a long way in determining the momentum of the series after the Raptors unlikely win.

Boston has looked like the better team for much of the series, but the Raptors don’t plan on going out without a fight, either.

Can the Celtics keep their confidence and composure after their Thursday evening gut-punch? Or will they fold at the first real signs of adversity?

At 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time today, we’ll find out.

[lawrence-related id=41444,41440,41436,41428]

Previewing Boston Celtics-Toronto Raptors Game 4, Round 2

Who has the momentum in Game 4 of the Boston Celtics – Toronto Raptors Eastern Conference Semifinals? Soon, we’ll find out.

The Boston Celtics gave the Toronto Raptors hope in their last-second Game 3 loss on Thursday night — will Toronto find a way to defy the odds and tie the series, or will Boston put the clamps on and take care of business?

Game 4 looms as a critical juncture in this Eastern Conference Semifinals series, which may come down to something as simple as which team wants it more.

The Celtics have for the most part looked like the better team, but defensive lapses and lower-energy stretches were enough for the Raptors to steal a game Thursday. Tonight we find out whether that theft was an aberration — or a momentum shift.

Both teams are relatively the same on the injury front, with Toronto free of them and Boston still sans veteran guard Gordon Hayward (ankle), guard Tremont Waters (knee), wing Javonte Green (knee) and center Vincent Poirier, absent for the birth of a child (congrats!).

No major changes happened on either side apart from a bit more zone from the Raptors and an Enes Kanter sighting on Boston’s end that isn’t likely to be repeated for long in this game if at all.

With no expectations of shifts in rotations or schema, this is likely to be another lower-scoring affair with a very motivated Boston, so we’re predicting a 108-100 win for the ‘home’ team. Most online sportsbooks still disagree however, continuing to grant Toronto a slight edge with a -1.5 spread.

Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with TNT the national broadcaster; check this article for other viewing alternatives.

[lawrence-related id=41440,41436,41433,41428]

How to watch or stream Boston Celtics-Toronto Raptors Game 4, Round 2

These are all the ways you can watch Game 4 of the series between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors on Saturday afternoon.

It’s safe to say that was not the way the Boston Celtics had planned to close out Game 3.

In a stunning last half-second collapse, the Toronto Raptors stole a game from the Celtics with a miracle shot from OG Anunoby, and in an instant, Boston’s focus shifted to Game 4 of the two teams’ Eastern Conference Semifinals series.

The Celtics are still in good shape with a 2 – 1 series lead, but will need to take care of business on Saturday to avoid giving the NBA’s defending champs the same sort of window that cost the 2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks their postseason aspirations.

Tip-off begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and if you aren’t sure how to watch the game, we’ve got a wide variety of options to choose from depending on your circumstances.

New Englanders with cable carrying NBC Sports Boston will be able to watch the game on that channel, and cord cutters can use NBCSportsBoston.com or their “MyTeams” app to watch as well.

Non-locals can watch on TNT as well around the U.S. if you happen to have that channel available to you.

Paid services like NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Hulu + and FuboTV are options to watch as well if you don’t mind ponying up a little cash to watch the game.

With a little luck, Game 4 will end a little less stressfully.

[lawrence-related id=41436,41433,41428,41424]

WATCH: Jaylen Brown’s Boston Celtics-Toronto Raptors Game 3 highlights

Watch all of Jaylen Brown’s best plays from the Boston Celtics Game 3 loss to the Toronto Raptors Thursday night.

While Boston’s Jaylen Brown may blame himself for the Celtics’ last-second loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 3 of their second-round series on Thursday night, he was in truth one of the better players playing significant minutes in it.

The late defensive breakdown certainly hurt the Celtics, but Boston would never have been in a position to win it at all if not for the Marietta native’s outstanding play in this game.

Scoring 19 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks on 9-of-15 shooting, Brown was perhaps the most important player for the Celtics in the contest save All-Star point guard Kemba Walker.

If you missed the game and want to see how the Cal-Berkeley product did in the Game 3 loss, or simply want some motivation for Game 4, watch the video embedded above.

The next game in the series is on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and something tells us the Celtics’ two-way terror will be more than ready come tip-off.

[lawrence-related id=41428,41424,41421,41404]

After a ‘[expletive] disgrace’ at Game 3’s end, Celts ready for Game 4

To Boston’s Jaylen Brown, it was a ‘[expletive] disgrace’ the Celtics lost to the Toronto Raptors Thursday, but the focus turned to Game 4 at the buzzer.

“That was just a [expletive] disgrace,” offered Jaylen Brown after the Boston Celtics’ loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 3 of their second-round series on Thursday.

And a [expletive] disgrace it was.

The Celtics had the game — and likely series — in hand with a Game 3 win, but let it begin to slip away in the second half.

OG Anunoby’s miracle 3-pointer was merely the icing in the cake of a late-game collapse so gradual, you could have missed it entirely if not for the last-second gut punch of a loss.

“No way we should have lost that game,” added Brown.

“I take responsibility for that not just that play, but a lot of the plays before it happened. It’s the NBA playoffs,” added the fourth-year wing. “Either you let them gain momentum, or you come back and be ready to play next game.”

I think we all know the Georgia native’s plan moving forward.

“It was a miscommunication,” he added. “[Anunoby] hit a tough shot to win the game — it’s tough. That’s the one we wish we could have back.”

In the playoffs however, there are no do-overs.

“We’ve got to move on to game four; I guess that’s the focus now — moving on. Ain’t nothing nobody can do about it, so just got to move on,” Brown resolved.

From where we sit, it looks like the Celtics already have.

The Raptors had better be ready for a haymaker come tip-off on Saturday.

[lawrence-related id=41424,41425,41421,41404]

Stevens blames loss on flat 2nd half start; ‘just one of those games’

For Brad Stevens, the Boston Celtics’ last-second loss to the Toronto Raptors actually started much earlier in the game.

It was an absolute gut punch to lose a game at the last second just moments after making what seemed like the game-winning basket.

But, to Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, the hail-Mary shot that won the Toronto Raptors Game 3 in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series wasn’t even the issue the head coach would point to for what cost them the win.

For Stevens, the problem started considerably earlier in the game.

“I thought we started the third quarter really low,” he explained. “I just didn’t think we played well; we gave up four layups right out of the gate.”

“They’re switching up defenses, and they’ve got long athletic guys that can do it. They’ve got really smart guys, the way they play [man-to-man defense]; they’re used to rotating and scrambling and doing all that stuff, so I thought that we’d attack that a little bit better as the game went on. But they mixed it up; they played some triangle, they played some zone. They’ve got the guard in the middle of the zone, they played … a lot of [man-to-man and] mixed up their matchups.”

“It’s just one of those games — just like the previous — to where you’ve just got to be on your toes and ready to attack the different things at different times,” Stevens added.

All in all it took a miracle pass followed by a miracle shot for the Raptors to come away with the win, and the Celtics are still up two games to one.

With the way they have played so far in the series, the team should be able to learn from their mistakes and come out with renewed focus and intensity in Game 4.

It’s not, as Stevens points out, the last second shot that kills you, after all — it’s not putting yourself in position to win with the other 2,879 seconds in the game.

[lawrence-related id=41415,41404,41400,41394]

WATCH: Kemba Walker’s Boston Celtics-Toronto Raptors Game 3 highlights

Watch this video for all of Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Kemba Walker’s best plays from the Game 3 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

The Boston Celtics lost their first game of the 2020 NBA Playoffs to the defending champion Toronto Raptors on a last second shot, and All-Star point guard Kemba Walker’s performance was one of the team’s few true bright spots.

The UConn product scored 29 points, 3 rebounds and as many assists and and steals in the loss, shooting 9-of-15 and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and going a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line.

Still, it wasn’t enough to secure the win for the Celtics, with guard Kyle Lowry throwing a pass over 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall at the last second to wing OG Anunoby, who in turn scored the game-winning basket.

“Much credit to those guys,” Walker said via the A.P. “That was a hell of a shot.”

If you missed the game last night or just want to look on some of the positives of Walker’s contributions, go ahead and watch the video embedded above.

Game 4 isn’t far off for revenge, with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, September 5th.

[lawrence-related id=41409,41404,41400,41394]

WATCH: Boston Celtics-Toronto Raptors full Game 3, Round 2 highlights

The Boston Celtics lost Game 3 with a last-second miracle shot from the Toronto Raptors – watch how it happened in this highlight video.

The Boston Celtics lost a squeaker at the last second to the Toronto Raptors, with OG Anunoby nailing the hail-Mary 3-pointer to secure the win with less than a second left on the clock.

Fresh on the heels of a Daniel Theis dunk that seemed to secure a commanding three-game lead for the Celtics, Boston’s players were understandably irked with the loss.

It was a hard-fought battle between two powerful foes, and it seemed to take everything the Raptors had in the tank just to pull it off. The series is now set at two games to one Celtics advantage, but with the loss, some real resistance for the first time in Boston’s postseason.

If you missed the game or just want to review what went wrong in the waning moments of Game 3, we’ve got you covered as per usual.

Watch the video embedded above to watch all of the epic battle between these two Eastern Conference heavyweights; Game 4 will come soon enough on Saturday.

[lawrence-related id=41404,41400,41394,41390]

Celtics lose 104-103 on last-second shot; series now at 2-1

The Boston Celtics nearly took a three game lead, but a hail-Mary shot from OG Anunoby stole the win for Toronto.

The Boston Celtics took a haymaker early from the Toronto Raptors early in their Game 3 contest from their northern neighbors, but weathered the storm due in large part to starting point guard Kemba Walker getting hot in the first half.

The Raptors on the tip, and Kyle Lowry got Toronto on the board with an and-1 on Daniel Theis, and quickly built a 5-0 lead. Boston’s Jaylen Brown scored first for the Celtics, but didn’t score again until Smart got fouled by Pascal Siakam at the 9:30 mark.

Walker got on the board with a trey soon to cut the lead to two, and Brown would tie the game up at 16 with just under six minutes to play in the quarter. The UConn product gave Boston the lead briefly before an elbow to the face of Lowry by Theis handed it back with the German being assessed a tech.

Both teams traded buckets as the first frame wound down, with OG Anunoby and Walker nailing 3-pointers to finish the quarter, the Celtics carrying a 33-28 lead into the second frame.

Boston began the second quarter with Jayson Tatum tossing in a finger roll, but Anunoby would answer back with another trey. Once again, neither team could get much in the way of separation early, going basket for basket early in the frame.

The Celtics started to heat up as Brown hit back-to-back baskets to put Boston up 44-37 with five minutes left in the quarter. Fred Van Vleet would pick up a tech of his own, sending Walker to the line for the conversion.

Marcus Smart scored a 3 to give the Celtics their biggest lead of the game at nine, but Van Vleet stayed hot, cutting the lead to 47-52 with 1:45 left in the half. Tatum and Walker would quickly double that lead to close out the frame, putting Boston up 57-47 going into the break.

The penultimate frame began with Siakam cutting the lead to six with a pair of quick makes, and the Raptors slowly whittled away at Boston’s lead. Smart hit a trey just under the 10-minute mark, but Lowry came back with a bucket on the next possession.

Van Vleet cut the lead to six with 8:15 to play in the frame, and then four soon after. A Siakam trey would give Toronto their first lead since the first quarter at 68-66, but Enes Kanter would tie it back up on the next play.

Once again, the teams traded makes, a Robert Williams flush getting another tech called to give the Celts the lead. Brad Wanamaker looked like he might have given a tech back in a collision that saw his knee meet Lowry’s groin, but the basket would count with Boston headed into the final frame up 80-76.

Boston started the fourth with a pair of 3-pointers to take an 82-80 lead, and Siakam would extend the lead to three with a trip to the stripe. Walker would cut it back to one with a jumper, and would tie it again at 83 from the line.

Walker gave the Celtics back the lead at 87-85 with 8:45 left in the game, and Grant Williams would extend it to four points with a dunk, but Norman Powell came back with a layup on the next play. Lowry wrest back the lead briefly with a 3, but Tatum got to the line to put Boston up 91-90.

Powell came back with a trey of his own with 6:30 left in the game, and a Marc Gasol layup put the Raptors up 95-91. Brown cut it to two with a stepback jumper, and Tatum tied it up at 95 with 4:30 left in the game. A Theis dunk gave Boston the lead, and a Brown flush extended it to four.

Lowry came back with a layup to cut the lead to two with as many minutes to play, but Brown kept attacking, and threw down another dunk to hang onto the lead. Lowry answered back with another make to cut the lead to 101-99, Toronto calling a timeout.

Van Vleet tied it up with 21 second left in the game, but Theis would nail a dunk, seeming to secure the win for the Celtics. Anunoby hit a three as time expired, stealing a 104-103 win to bring the series to 2-1.

[lawrence-related id=41400,41394,41390,41387]