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Great game on both ends of the court by Marcus Smart who opened the field with his long shots, Jason Tatum started the game very badly but increased his speed and was excellent then he won the first battle against Mark Gasol Daniel Thais, followed by Keba Walker – Jalen Brown, the first with a sore knee, but clenching his teeth and staying in the game until the final.
The Celtics were incredible in the first period. They built an 11-point lead (22-11) in the seventh minute, with Ibaka’s 3-pointer keeping the Raptors afloat, but Shiakam committed his third foul in the eighth minute, giving Brown a triple for 26-13. Six Canadian errors sent the difference to 18 (31-13) very quickly, with the Celtics impressive in attack despite Tatum scoring just two points in those first twelve minutes. The Raptors narrowed the gap relatively quickly to 39-30, but there the Celtics quickly rallied. A 51-35 long shot by Ozelege and a 59-42 final by Walker kept Toronto at arm’s length and Brad Stevens’ players never looked back, walking to 1-0.
THE TWELVE MINUTES: 23-39, 42-59, 73-88, 94-112
RAPTORS (Ners): Anunobi 12 (1 triple, 7 rebounds), Shiakam 12 (5/15 shots, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals), Gasol 7 (6 rebounds, 2 assists), VanVlit 11 (2/11 triples, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 steals), Laurie 17 (1 triple, 6 rebounds, 8 assists), Ibaka 15 (3 triples, 8 rebounds), Powell 10 (2), Davis 7 (1), Boucher 2, Thomas, Hollis-Jefferson
Celts (Stevens): Brown 14 (3/9 3s, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), Tatum 21 (2 3s, 9 rebounds, 2 assists), Thais 13 (15 rebounds), Smart 21 (5/9 3s, 6 rebounds, 4 assists), Walker 18 (4/7 triples, 10 assists), Robert Williams 10 (5/5 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks), Wanamaker 7 (2 triples, 6 rebounds), Ozelege 3 (1 ), Grand Williams, Langford 2, Poirier
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