Celtics Win OT Thriller over Raptors

Marcus Smart’s rebound and put back of an Isaiah Thomas miss as time expired lifted the Celtics to a 117-116 victory over Toronto Saturday night.

In a game in which the Celtics blew an 11-point lead to start the fourth quarter, the Celtics displayed their perseverance and some timely shooting to secure the victory.

Smart had given the Celtics a 114-113 lead on a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left in overtime. Louis Williams, who ended with 27 points for the Raptors, hit a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left to give the Raptors the lead before Smart’s game-winning shot.

Thomas led a balanced Celtics attack with 25 points.

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The first quarter was a back and forth affair until the Celtics got cold and the Raptors were able to build a 24-15 lead after the first. The Celtics only made one field goal over the last four minutes. In what was a running theme for the night, the Raptors aided their cause by going 8-8 from the free throw line.

The Raptors lead grew to 12 before the Celtics reeled off a 15-2 run to take the lead on an Evan Turner jumper. The teams would exchange baskets throughout the remainder of the quarter and were all knotted up at 47 at halftime.

Kelly Olynyk had 10 points in the quarter as the Celtics shot 59% (13-22) from the field.

Thomas had 9 points in the first half.

The Celtics continued to shoot the ball well in the third as they led by as many as 14. Tyler Zeller scored 12 of his 20 points in the third quarter as Boston led 81-70 heading into the fourth.

Then DeMar DeRozan of the Raptors took over.

Continually attacking the rim, DeRozan scored 18 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. While the Celtics had no answers for DeRozan, they were able to have the ball in their hands for the final shot of regulation. A Thomas 3-pointer was well off the mark, setting the stage for Smart’s overtime heroics.

The Celtics shot 49% from the field in the victory, improving to 10-1 in the second night of back-to-back games since January 22.

The Raptors were also able to hang around thanks to their advantage in the free throw department. They made 30-38 (79%) compared to the Celtics 15-22 (68%).

Turner had 18 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds as he continued to be an all-around stabilizing presence for the Celtics. Olynyk finished with 16 points, and Smart had 15. Jared Sullinger, in his second game back from his foot injury, had 7 rebounds in 12 minutes of play.

With the victory, and coupled with losses by the Nets and the Heat, the Celtics moved back into the 8th seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs. They have a few days off to prepare for a week that involves games against the Cavs and Raptors.