The Boston Celtics look to get back in the win column when they go up against Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors Tuesday night.
The Boston Celtics are in for another big test Tuesday night when they travel to Canada to take on Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol and the Toronto Raptors.
As if the game itself wasn’t big enough, the inconsistent Celtics are coming off a horrible lost to the Chicago Bulls following a tough defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks. If the team has any hope of savaging at least one game in this brief three-game road trip, they will have to bring the energy and effort to Toronto in order to win in a place they haven’t had much success.
With Leonard and the Raptors coming off their own disappointing loss to the Orlando Magic, this one is shaping up to be another to the buzzer battle.
After losing the first matchup at Scoitabank Arena back in October, the Boston Celtics edged out the Raptors in the last two matchups at TD Garden. Led by Kyrie Irving, Boston beat Toronto 123-116 in overtime in the second matchup and 117-108 in the last matchup.
Entering the game as 4.5 underdogs and 6 ½ games behind the Toronto Raptors for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, Brad Stevens and his team are in a must win situation. More importantly, they need to continue to show they can compete against and beat the top teams in the East.
The last time the Celtics needed to respond, they did so against the Philadelphia 76ers on the road prior to the NBA All-Star break.
How to watch Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
When: Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019 8:00 PM ET
TV: TNT
Streaming: FuboTV
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub
Here are three keys to beating Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors in a showdown of Atlantic Division rivals.
Get off to a good start
The Boston Celtics actually got off to a good start in their first matchup against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. They competed in that game until midway through the fourth quarter when Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry took over the game.
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In this game, they must come out with that same energy and maintain it. Kyrie Irving has to back up his words and put forth a All-Star performance coming out the gate as do the entire starting lineup no matter who Brad Stevens throws out there.
With the addition of Marc Gasol, the Raptors will have a different look as Gasol is capable of stretching the floor and has a history of killing the Celtics. Matching Toronto’s intensity and playing the defensive basketball Boston is capable of will be crucial.
With that being said, Al Horford will be an X-factor in this game. He has to come out and play the kind of basketball offensively and defensively that he played the last two games coming off the All-Star break. With the athleticism and length the Raptors have along the front court, the Boston Celtics as a team have to be physical and active around the glass.
It’s simple, if they lose the rebounding battle in this one, it will be very tough for them to win this game.
Match Leonard’s production
The Boston Celtics won’t completely stop Kawhi Leonard so they must match his production while limiting players like Serge Ibaka, Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol and Danny Green from having big scoring nights.
Led by Kyrie Irving, the Celtics did a good job of that in the last two matchups at TD Garden. Irving simply outlasted Leonard in the battle of superstars, but in order to accomplish that on the road, Boston needs someone else to step up offensively.
Besides Al Horford as mentioned in the previous slide, this is the type of game Jayson Tatum can really flourish. His ability to create his own shot will be key for the Celtics to remain consistent offensively in this one.
In all, if the Boston Celtics can limit Kawhi Leonard to around 30 points while limiting the other scorers, they should have a good chance to win this game especially if they play defensively how they did against the Milwaukee Bucks last Thursday. To get a win, they have to obviously shoot better than they did in that game.
They also need Kyrie Irving to come out of the gate engaged in the game instead of just turning it on late. That actually goes for the entire team.
Brad Stevens decision-making
Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens continues to take self-blame for the team’s inconsistency this season.
Besides possibly making a starting lineup change, Stevens has to recognize what lineups are working and not working during important stretches of the game, primarily in the second quarter when he inserts the bench.
One of those decisions may include limiting the minutes of Terry Rozier who has put in some poor shooting performances lately. It’s not much his poor shooting, but his shot selection that killed the team particularly in Saturday night’s loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Rozier is not the sole player to blame, but it’s up to Stevens to find the matchups that work instead of letting players stay in the game too long if they are struggling. That also goes for Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown or any other player coming off the bench.
In all, it could be one of those games players like Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum play extended minutes due to what Irving and Tatum gives the team offensively and what Smart brings to the table defensively.
After what happened Saturday night in Chicago, it will be interesting to see how the Boston Celtics as a team responds in this big, nationally televised showdown.