Kristaps Porzingis commented on the Celtics defeating the Raptors in a slugfest: I loved our character.
In the Celtics’ victory over the Raptors on Friday, Kristaps Porzingis stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and a steal.
With a 108-105 victory over the Raptors on Friday night in Toronto, the Boston Celtics began the 2023–24 campaign with a 10-2 record.
The visitors let their guard down after halftime, despite dominating the hosts 39–17 in the second quarter.
Toronto immediately regained control of the game and electrified the Scotiabank Arena crowd with a 16–6 run. The Raptors were only down three points going into the final twelve minutes after making 65% of their shots in the third quarter.
With both teams scoring just 24 points in the fourth quarter, it was a low-scoring slugfest. However, in the last two minutes, Boston dominated the game.
Switches who made consecutive buckets at the hoop were penalised by Kristaps Porzingis. Jrue Holiday chose not to use a screen from the seven-foot-three centre with 27.1 seconds remaining and the score tied at 103. Instead, he spun towards the baseline and took Dennis Schroder into the low post.
Gary Trent Jr. was drawn to him by that. As Jaylen Brown cut into the paint, the next closest defender, Pascal Siakam, zoning two, went with him, opening the door for Derrick White to make the game-winning corner three.
The Celtics are now 2-0 in the NBA’s first-ever in-season tournament, and since they are the only team in Group C without a loss, they will be in control of their fate in group play.
“I think the first quarter and the beginning of (the) second half, we didn’t start off the way we would like to,” Porzingis said to Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston following the victory.
“And I enjoyed the fact that we battled back during those moments in today’s game, particularly when the crowd got into it in the second half. We persevered, made some huge plays, and ultimately prevailed in the match. I really liked our character in today’s match.
“When we matched the energy, the game started going in our favour,” the former All-Star said after the fact.
He also said, “We didn’t play our best game. There was no one hot and keen. However, I witnessed some huge plays, energy plays from JB, D. White, Jrue was great in terms of energy, and that’s all. They picked us up, and we succeeded.”
Additional Reading
Here’s What Happened: The Celtics overcame the storm to defeat the Raptors.
Following his injury during the Celtics’ victory over the Raptors, Jaylen Brown Launches In-Season Tournament Court
Joe Mazzulla: Against the Toronto Raptors, the Boston Celtics weren’t their “best version” of themselves
Celtics Talk About The Importance of Winning Against The 76ers to Secure the Top East Seed
Joe Mazzulla talks about the Celtics’ second-half comeback that led to a victory over the 76ers.
These Were the Standout Moments from the Celtics’ Season-Opening Victory Over the 76ers?
Joe Mazzulla thinks the second unit of the Celtics is “beginning to develop an identity.”
Talking about their chemistry, Kristaps Porzingis says, “I love playing with Jaylen Brown.”
Joe Mazzulla discusses how Kristaps Porzingis “far exceeded my expectations.”
A Sneak peek at how Kristaps Porzingis will improve the Celtics’ late-game offence
The Celtics are rebuilding brotherhood between the past and present under Joe Mazzulla.
