Game #26 Toronto Raptors @ Boston Celtics: Thursday February 11 at 7:30pm EST

[nba_4_life]

On to the Celtics!!
The Raptors are 5th in the east !!

The Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics meet Thursday in NBA action at the TD Garden.

The Toronto Raptors look for a win after winning five of their last six games. The Toronto Raptors are averaging 113.3 points on 44.7 percent shooting and allowing 111.5 points on 45.7 percent shooting. Fred VanVleet is averaging 20.7 points and 4.3 rebounds while Pascal Siakam is averaging 20.2 points and 4.6 assists. Kyle Lowry is the third double-digit scorer and Norman Powell is grabbing 2.5 rebounds. The Toronto Raptors are shooting 38.4 percent from beyond the arc and 82.2 percent from the free throw line. The Toronto Raptors are allowing 37.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 42.5 rebounds per game.

The Boston Celtics need a win after losing five of their last seven games. The Boston Celtics are averaging 110.8 points on 46.6 percent shooting and allowing 109.8 points on 47 percent shooting. Jayson Tatum is averaging 26.8 points and 6.9 rebounds while Jaylen Brown is averaging 26.7 points and 3.4 assists. Kemba Walker is the third double-digit scorer and Marcus Smart is grabbing 2.8 rebounds. The Boston Celtics are shooting 38.1 percent from beyond the arc and 75.8 percent from the free throw line. The Boston Celtics are allowing 36.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 43.6 rebounds per game.

Starting Linups
Toronto


Boston


Lets crush this fraud of a team
Lets Go Raptors!!!

[G__Deane]

I still think it's funny that the Celtics play at Toronto Dominance Garden

[Jclaw]

Tough back to back...would be nice to add OG to the mix. We'll see. Go Raps.

[S.R.]

Man I'd really like to see them beat these guys but Toronto plays some of their worst games against the Celtics. That's partly Celtics defence but partly on Toronto, have just laid a few eggs against these guys for whatever reason. Like to see them at their best tonight, tough on night 2 of a b2b. Last one Atlanta pulled away in the 4th quarter.

[The Great One]

Is OG going to play tonight? if he is then I would start him at the 5. KEEP Powell in the starting lineup. Powell is a different player as a starter.

[inthepaint]

This will be a tough Second night of a b2b with no OG to contain Tatum. Theis & Thompson will be hard for baynes too. That said, if we somehow pull a W here, that could be a turnaround point in the season. We would tie boston's winning % on the season and be tied with them for the 4th seed, but with a better point differential. Big game.

Powell has been absolutely shredding defences with a combination of inside and outside shots, and even midrange lately. We get another game like that from him, plus a good one from Fred & boucher and we might squeeze this one out (provided non-egg games from Siakam & Lowry).

We won 5 of the last 6, let's go!

[inthepaint]

Is OG going to play tonight? if he is then I would start him at the 5. KEEP Powell in the starting lineup. Powell is a different player as a starter.

^^This. The smart move here is sit baynes out for this one. Theis & Thompson would kill him on our defensive end. They will kill boucher onn our end too, but at least boucher would get us buckets, offensive rebounds and run a functional pnr on the other end.

I'd sit baynes for this one even if OG is still out, and split the C minutes with Siakam & boucher.

Powell needs to start for us to have a hope on this one

[nba_4_life]

^^This. The smart move here is sit baynes out for this one. Theis & Thompson would kill him on our defensive end. They will kill boucher onn our end too, but at least boucher would get us buckets, offensive rebounds and run a functional pnr on the other end.

I'd sit baynes for this one even if OG is still out, and split the C minutes with Siakam & boucher.

Powell needs to start for us to have a hope on this one

I will try and put OG in the 6th man role but play like starters minutes by going small later in the game

[planetmars]

Boston is reeling.. and apparently Brown is suffering from knee tendinitis (he played against Utah but was questionable before the game). I would start Baynes against Thompson and just play more Boucher/OG (if he plays) if Baynes has a bad start.

Last time out, Boston just wiped us out.. that Pritchard kid was awesome and Tatum was unstoppable. We lost because of their bench play though.. ours was horrible (Norm especially). So hopefully Yuta is feeling okay. We can use him tonight.

[G__Deane]

^^This. The smart move here is sit baynes out for this one. Theis & Thompson would kill him on our defensive end. They will kill boucher onn our end too, but at least boucher would get us buckets, offensive rebounds and run a functional pnr on the other end.

I'd sit baynes for this one even if OG is still out, and split the C minutes with Siakam & boucher.

Powell needs to start for us to have a hope on this one

Celtics have lost 5 of their last 7 and we've won 5 of 6 albeit against pretty average competition. Why do we need everything to go right to "have a hope" in this one or "squeeze this one out?

I agree that the Celtics often seem to have our number and this could be a tough one but other teams seem to have no problem with them so ....

[inthepaint]

Celtics have lost 5 of their last 7 and we've won 5 of 6 albeit against pretty average competition. Why do we need everything to go right to "have a hope" in this one or "squeeze this one out?

I agree that the Celtics often seem to have our number and this could be a tough one but other teams seem to have no problem with them so ....

because they have better players than we do, we're banged up without our best defender if OG doesn't play, they're playing at home (not as meaningful as before but still), they're desperate for a win after the recent losing skid, and we're on a second night of a back to back (both on the road) . It will be a very difficult game in which we could very well lose by 15+, though thankfully we're also in a position to win if the guys come in focused and hungry, especially on the defensive end.

[inthepaint]

Edit re post above: Just saw that Smart is out and brown is banged up. That is significant and may tip the scales toawards us, especially if OG plays

[DogeLover1234]

Edit re post above: Just saw that Smart is out and brown is banged up. That is significant and may tip the scales toawards us, especially if OG plays

I mean we win and are tied with Boston in the standings - it would be close regardless imo. Boston hasnt had Walker most of the year and lost Wanamaker + Hayward. Everyone acted like Thompson was the missing piece which was wild to me. Brown and Tatum are sick, but Boston got worse since last year.

Walker absolutely broke our bigs in the PnR last year, eager to see if Boucher can fair better. Of course the storyline is going to be all Pascal. Can he score in single coverage? Does he tunnel on the basket and ignore double coverages, or just jack up mid rangers? Play in control and we should put up another 120.

[G__Deane]

Edit re post above: Just saw that Smart is out and brown is banged up. That is significant and may tip the scales toawards us, especially if OG plays

OK I thought you knew that. Smart and Brown out more than offsets OG, especially with Powell hooping

[Jclaw]

We don't play again til Sunday...would imagine the answer to OG's "questionable" is no