Tatum imposes his law in the victory of the Celtics against the Raptors

Boston star, key for his team to defeat Toronto 110-116

31 points and 12 rebounds for Jayson, who surpassed an excellent Siakam (29 points, 8 catches and 7 assists)

Los Boston Celtics were imposed on Monday at Toronto Raptors from 110-116 after another performance by Jayson Tatum who finished the night with a double-double of 31 points and 12 rebounds, while his teammate Jaylon Brown added 22 points. On the Raptors, the most effective player was Pascal Siakam, with 29 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists while Scottie Barnes had 21 points and Gray Trent Jr. 20. Spaniard Juancho Hernagómez did not play with the Raptors after suffering a sprained left ankle right in the game Toronto played on Saturday.

The Celtics arrived in Toronto following a hard-fought 24-hour victory over the Brooklyn Nets 92-103. The game against the Raptors was the Celtics’ second straight away game. And after Toronto, those in Boston have four more away games. Boston started the season in great shape. They are first in the Eastern Conference, ahead of the Milawukee Bucks, with the most points per game (120.8), leaders in three-pointers made, three-point percentage and free throw percentage.

The Raptors, for their part, are seventh in the Eastern Conference and best in the league in steals, with 10.2 per game, the result of the intense defense that the Torontonians perform in their games. But as of Monday night, the Canadian team had lost just two of its nine home games. And in their last three home games, the Raptors had been victorious.

Height for the Raptors

Raptors head coach Nick Nurse opted to start the game with high fives, with Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, Christian Koloko and OG Anunoby, initially dropping Gary Trent Jr. up front. Up front, the Celtics posted Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown and Blake Griffin due to the retirement of Al Horford, who suffers from back pain. Nurse decided to pair Barnes with Tatum on defense and Anunoby, the Raptors’ top defenseman, with Brown. The strategy initially worked for the Raptors. In the first 12 minutes, Tatum, who is averaging 30.7 points per game this season, hit just one 3-pointer on two attempts. Brown was the Celtics’ most effective man in the first quarter, with six points, the same as Siakam for the Raptors. At the end of the first quarter, the visitors led by two points, 25-27.

In the second quarter, the Raptors bolstered the Celtics’ defense and quickly took the lead with first Chris Boucher and then Siakam taking the brunt of the hosts’ offense. Tatum and Brown continued to post unusually low numbers, allowing the Raptors to lead by 10 points, 49-39, after going 10-1 in just under two minutes. When halftime came, the Raptors led 62-56controlling the pace of the game, with Tatum in the Celtics with 11 points and Brown with 8.

But around the locker room, Tatum woke up from his lethargy. The Celtics forward stepped on the accelerator and in the first six minutes of the third quarter scored 10 points and grabbed 2 rebounds. Tatum’s improvement reverberated throughout the team, so that at that point the Celtics led by five points, 71-76. The visitors would not lose their advantage on the board again. In the third quarter, the Celtics doubled the Raptors, 35 to 18 points. At the end of the period they were already 11 points higher in the standings, 80-91. Tatum returned to more familiar ground, with a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds, while on the Raptors Siakam had 26 points.

In the fourth quarter the Raptors try to overturn the score but the Celtics have no problem controlling the pace of the last 12 minutes and close the game with a six point lead, 110-116.