National Basketball Association

3 Takeaways from Celtics-Raptors

Published Aug. 30, 2020 5:11 p.m. ET

The Boston Celtics claimed the first game in the franchise's first ever postseason series against the Toronto Raptors, building a massive halftime lead and holding Kyle Lowry & Co. at bay the rest of the way.

Here are the 3 biggest takeaways from Game 1 of this Eastern Conference semifinal.

1. Team effort for Boston

All five starters plus reserve center Robert Williams scored in double figures for the Celtics, as Toronto's vaunted defense had trouble slowing Boston's balanced attack.

The C's were especially on fire from 3, shooting 17-of-39 from deep.

By the time a Raptors player reached double figures in scoring late in the third quarter, 4 Celtics starters were already in double digits.

2. Raptors suffer shooting woes

The Raptors, meanwhile, were freezing cold.

Boston held Toronto to 36.9 percent shooting from the field, and limited Pascal Siakam to just 13 points on 5-for-16 shooting.

Fred VanVleet, who leads the team in scoring at 22.9 points per game, shot a mere 3-of-16 for 11 points. He was just 2-of-11 behind the arc while the Raptors shot 10-of-40 on threes.

3. The Raptors' Achilles heel

Boston is now 4-1 against Toronto this season, while no other team has beaten the reigning champs more than twice.

The Raptors sit at 0-2 against the Celtics in the bubble, losing by a combined 40 points and never holding the lead in either game. Toronto is 11-0 at Disney against everybody else.

The Raptors have lost only 4 games by more than 15 points this season, and 3 of those losses have come at the hands of Boston.