Loss to short-handed Celtics leaves Raptors in play-in limbo
Facing a depleted Boston Celtics roster and with their own group intact for the first time in weeks, the Raptors could not seize the moment and have made their pursuit of eighth place in the East highly improbable.
But with Chicago losing in Milwaukee, the Raptors cannot finish lower than ninth, which would earn them a play-in home game against the Bulls on Wednesday.Boston was without four key players — Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Payton Pritchard — but played a far more energetic game than the Raptors for most of the night. They decimated Toronto’s backups, winning the bench battle 33-18, and turned 10 offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points.
Pascal Siakam led Toronto with 28 points despite not scoring at all in the second quarter, while Fred VanVleet struggled through a 2-for-14 shooting night. Trent may get enough game action over the two remaining contests to work himself fully back into shape, but the fact the Raptors can’t know for sure is frustrating.
Will Barton, coming off a night with six three-pointers against the Hornets, had none against the Celtics, a testament to Boston’s defence and Barton’s inconsistency after coming back from three games off with an ankle injury. Like Trent, Barton was getting work in on the practice court; like Trent, carrying it over in back-to-back games was an issue.
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