White, Celtics win fifth straight in victory over Raptors: 8 takeaways

White had one other phenomenal recreation – 22 factors on 7-for-15 capturing, together with six 3-pointers, to go along with three rebounds, 5 assists, three steals and two blocks. His offense coming again round has been one of many largest causes the Celtics are surging once more, since he opens up passing and scoring choices for Tatum specifically – the Celtics won’t have a extra lethal two-man possibility than the Tatum/White pick-and-roll (the one deadlier possibility may be Tatum and Porzingis). 

White’s protection, nevertheless, may be the strongest a part of his very sturdy two-way recreation. He’s huge and athletic for his place, actually, and he makes use of his bodily items to his benefit. However his positioning is simply as essential, and simply as spectacular. He constantly places himself in the best place as a shot blocker to go up vertically and contest, even when he doesn’t get the blocked shot. He additionally breaks up passing lanes in addition to anybody this aspect of Marcus Good – on Tuesday, all three of his steals have been much less about feats of nice athleticism and extra about merely having his palms in the best place on the proper time. 

White received’t wow you fairly often as a basketball participant except you might be wow’d by profitable basketball performs that fly just a little below the radar, during which case you will see your self wow’d by him a number of instances per evening. 

Jayson Tatum had six turnovers. Had been they his fault?

Tatum completed with 11 assists (to go along with a comparatively inefficient 19 factors on 18 pictures), however he turned the ball over six instances. What ought to we make of his stat line?

A better have a look at Tatum’s turnovers inform one thing of an attention-grabbing story. 

• The primary was most likely much less Tatum’s fault than it was a credit score to Ochai Agbaji, whose excessive, energetic palms deflected his pick-and-roll go to Payton Pritchard up within the air. 
• The second was related – a very nice learn by Scottie Barnes, who dropped again to path Tatum within the pick-and-roll and appropriately guessed that he deliberate to whip a go behind him to Hauser on the prime of the important thing. 
• The third was objectively Tatum’s fault – he dribbled off his leg. 
• The fourth is the place issues begin to get just a little murky. Sam Hauser ran a pick-and-roll with Tatum, however he stopped quick and located himself in no man’s land – neither rolling far sufficient to attract a defender nor popping to present Tatum a passing possibility. Tatum tried to guide Hauser into house to the ring for a layup, however Hauser was frozen to the bottom.
• The fifth was a real disgrace: Tatum crossed Raptors huge man Orlando Robinson to the bottom and tried to dish to a rolling Neemias Queta, who was already ready for the offensive rebound and wasn’t prepared for the go. 
• And the sixth was additionally totally Tatum’s fault – a foul dribbling turnover. 

So of Tatum’s six turnovers: 

• Two have been objectively his fault. 
• Two might most likely be credited to Hauser and Queta. 
• Two have been a credit score to the Raptors’ defensive stress.

Tatum’s 11 assists and 6 turnovers are an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.83, however if you happen to take away the 2 attributable to Hauser and Queta (which isn’t how this works, however however), he’s at a a lot more healthy 2.75.

Tatum and White have been Headband Boys once more

Tatum and White have been each sporting headbands. Earlier this season, they agreed that if one among them known as for a headscarf recreation, they each needed to put on them. 

“It was my name,” Tatum instructed reporters afterward. “No specific purpose. We had an settlement that at any time when one among us say we received to put on a headscarf, we’ve received to do it. We was presupposed to take turns. We did it in Atlanta earlier within the season. I waited 40-some-odd video games for him to say it, so I took the duty from him, and simply mentioned ‘F*** it, we’re going to put on the headscarf at present.’”

The Celtics have been chilly (however record-setting) from three

The Celtics broke the NBA document for probably the most video games in a row making 15 or extra triples, however they wanted 51 makes an attempt to do it. Apart from White (6-for-11) and Hauser (2-for-4), everybody completed beneath 30 %, whereas Tatum went 3-for-12, and each Brown and Torrey Craig went 0-for-5. 

With the win, the Celtics improved to 4-7 this 12 months after they shoot 30 % or much less from deep. 

Jaylen Brown had a minor damage scare (and performed effectively) 

Brown exited the sport with 8:05 remaining within the third quarter holding the again of his left leg – a considerably regarding growth for the Celtics since Brown has had hamstring points at instances up to now, and particularly since hamstring points can linger uncomfortably. Brown sat out the rest of the third quarter.

The excellent news, nevertheless, was that it gave the impression to be nothing main: A better look revealed that Brown appeared to get kneed behind the leg, and after stretching his leg out a bit earlier than the beginning of the fourth quarter, he returned to the sport. 

Brown couldn’t discover the vary from behind the arc (0-for-5), however he carved the Raptors up within the paint – scoring 24 factors on 10-for-18 capturing. His shot profile, in the meantime, was extremely numerous. His first bucket was a closely contested mid-range jumper. He hit a number of slicing layups towards Raptors defenders who couldn’t comprise his first step or his change of pace. He scored a pair of baskets sealing a defender on his again and catching a go excessive. 

Nobody participant was notably dominant on Tuesday, however on an evening when the Celtics weren’t lighting the world on hearth, Brown gave them dependable offense.

The Celtics ended the third quarter with a unbelievable 2-for-1.

The Celtics executed one among their greatest 2-for-1s of the season to finish the third quarter.

After Immanuel Quickley hit a pair of free throws with 39 seconds remaining within the quarter to chop the Celtics’ result in seven, Payton Pritchard hustled the ball up the ground as quick as attainable, clearly attempting to catch the Raptors off guard on the rim. The Raptors, nevertheless, have been prepared for the Celtics’ end-of-quarter knowledgeable, and so they walled him off on the rim. 

Pritchard bailed out and turned to the 3-point line. There he noticed Sam Hauser, who had floated out of the nook away from his defender. Pritchard discovered Hauser, who cashed within the 3-pointer with 29.1 seconds remaining. 

On the opposite finish, the Celtics received a pleasant cease – swarming Orlando Robinson, who traveled as he tried to flee the lure below the rim. That gave the Celtics 8.3 seconds to get one other shot off and, maybe predictably, Pritchard was the one who took it – charging up the ground and throwing on the brakes so exhausting that Jonathan Mogbo stumbled attempting to defend him. Pritchard buried the 3-pointer, and the Celtics went up by 13 getting into the fourth quarter.