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In a series-altering Game 5, the Boston Celtics dominated the Toronto Raptors from start to finish.
The Celtics’ balanced scoring attack saw six different players score in double figures led by a rebounding effort of 27 points from Jaylen Brown and 21 points on 15 efficient shots from Kemba Walker. The Raptors couldn’t do anything early on, shooting 38.8% from the field and 30.0% from three-point ground.
To learn more about this uneven game 5, we’ve got you covered below.
Celtics win the battle of the big 3
No, no one has really called it the battle of the big 3, but most of the scoring in this series has come down to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker against Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam.
In Game 5, it was the three Celtics players who won the scoring battle.
| Celtics | points | Raptors | points |
| Tatum | 18 | Siakam | 10 |
| Brown | 27 | VanVleet | 18 |
| Walker | twenty-one | Lowry | 10 |
| Total | 66 (23-48 FG) | Total | 38 (14-31 field goals) |
Most of the time, the group that scores the most points will put their team in position to win the game. Tonight, it was the Boston core that got the job done.
Raptors slow start
The Raptors were on the wrong side of history after the first quarter.
His 11 first-frame points marked the fewest points scored by a team in any quarter of a playoff series after the first round since 1991. by Jared Weiss from Athletic.
Boston’s defense was clicking and Toronto’s box score clearly represented it. Lowry, VanVleet, Siakam, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell all went 0-for-11 from the field.
As a team, they shot 4 of 20 (20%) from the field and 1 of 9 (11.1%) of 3 to finish with six turnovers, a recipe for disaster. They trailed 25-11 heading into the second quarter.
He didn’t get much prettier in the second frame, only scoring 35 points at halftime, the lowest total scoring of any team at the half so far in the postseason. The Celtics’ 27-point lead at the half, on the other hand, joined the right side of history.
Boston’s 27-point lead at halftime is the team’s second-largest lead at halftime in a postseason game in the Shot Clock Era (from 1954-55). Boston led the Lakers by 30 at halftime of Game 1 of the 1985 NBA Finals and won that game 148-114. @ESPNStatsInfo
– Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 7, 2020
Brown’s bouncing game
Brown had one of his worst offensive games of the season in Game 4. By missing his first nine attempts from beyond the arc, Brown was guessing on every shot attempt.
In Game 5, it was different from the start. Brown buried his first 3-point attempt of the game to remove the rim cap immediately. He would continue to attack the offense, including this dunk of revenge for the winner of Game 3 of OG Anunoby to the face of Brown.
Jaylen Brown INCOMING! 😤 pic.twitter.com/YIm7Af37vH
– NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) September 7, 2020
Brown would finish with 27 points, the game’s maximum, shooting 10 of 18 from the field and 3 of 7 from 3-point ground.
The Celtics advance to 15-0 on the season when Brown scores 25 or more points.
Early foul problems for VanVleet
VanVleet committed three fouls in the first half, interrupting his rhythm early in the game.
Head coach Nick Nurse relied on VanVleet, allowing him to play through foul trouble, but he still played a hand on a shy start to the game. VanVleet shot 1 of 7 from the field and 0 of 2 from 3 in the first half, scoring just four points.
Nurse’s confidence was validated, as VanVleet did not commit an extra foul before the second half, but still couldn’t get into a rhythm early on.
The third quarter was a different story when VanVleet finally found his hit. He scored 12 quick points in the period shooting 5 of 6 from the field, but his effort came too late. Regardless, it’s still encouraging to see him finish the game on a high note, building momentum heading into a crucial Game 6.
Siakam can’t avoid foul problems either
Siakam came out of the gate at halftime shooting, just like we’ve seen earlier in this series.
He’s used the start of the third quarter to start attacking the basket and throwing his shots, in this case, trying to get the Raptors back in the game. He exceeded his first-half scoring production in just six minutes of the third quarter, going for six quick points, but foul trouble got the better of Siakam again.
He would pick up his fifth foul in the middle of the frame fighting for a loose ball and would be forced to head to the bench to avoid a possible foul.
This is the third time in this series that Pascal has been on the bench due to foul problems. He committed four fouls in Games 1 and 3, which made it difficult to start with sporadic playing time in each of those games.
If the Raptors are going to force a Game 7, they’ll need their All-Star forward to defend without fouling and stay on the floor.
Whats Next?
The Raptors will look to keep their season alive and force a Game 7 when they face the Celtics for Game 6 on Thursday, September 10.
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