Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led five players in double figures as they both went for 25 points Friday night to lead the Boston Celtics to a 112-106 win over the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors in the home opener at TD Garden in Boston.
Boston (1-1) fresh off an opening night loss on Wednesday against Philadelphia where they only shot 36% only shot 38% Friday night on 109 attempts. Toronto (1-1) made 18 of 36 from three-point range but the Celtics finally had the shots drop in the fourth quarter outscoring the Raptors 36-24 to overtake the lead and hold on for their first victory of the season. The hosts took the lead on a Robert Williams layup on an assist from Kemba Walker 101-100. Later with Boston up 107-106 with 2:49 left, Brown nailed a huge three-pointer as Toronto went scoreless over the last three minutes.
Brown and Tatum both added nine rebounds and four assists to their point totals. Walker had 22 points and six rebounds. Gordon Hayward had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Marcus Smart also chipped in with 10 points and three assists. Pascal Siakam led all scorers with a game high 33 points and also grabbing eight rebounds in the Raptors loss. Kyle Lowery had 29 points, seven rebounds, and four assists making 6-10 from the three-point line. The Celtics did a much better job at the free throw line making 15 of 16 after shooting just over 50% in their loss to the 76ers.
Boston travels to New York to battle the Knicks on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
