Celtics Fall to Raptors in Home Opener

What really went wrong for the Celtics?

The Celtics were an absolute disaster last night from start to finish, the highlight being the first quarter where they looked like a good defensive side, however, that’s really the only real upside from last night’s performance as they continued to turn the ball over and give up unnecessary fouls.

Especially in the fourth quarter, the Celtics looked completely disorientated on the defensive end, leaving the paint open for cutters to get an easy bucket, this is either down to a lack of communication from the players or even just a lack of effort.

Individual Performance

Celtics

Jaylen Brown in particular was someone I was looking forward to watching last night after his 46 point performance in New York on Wednesday. However, he just seemed to miss shot after shot and just not have any real impact on the game.

Let’s compare Jaylen Brown’s two performances this season

Jaylen Brown vs Knicks: 46 points, 16/30 FG, 8/14 3PT

Jaylen Brown vs Raptors: 9 points, 3/13 FG, 0/7 3PT

Quite the difference between the two, Celtics fans will be hoping this is just a one-off and not a regular occurrence.

One good individual performance from last night was debutant Al Horford, returning to Boston after being traded in the offseason.

Horford put up a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds

Raptors

The main standout performer last night was the rookie and third overall pick, Scottie Barnes. Barnes showed out on both sides of the ball, locking up Jayson Tatum and Brown, and also getting it done as a scorer and a playmaker.

Barnes vs Celtics: 25 points, 13 rebounds, 11/17 FG, 1/2 3PT

The future is bright for the Raptors with a young core with players like Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby, with a good balance of players with a few more years in the league like Fred Vanvleet and Pascal Siakam. I have high hopes for the Raptors for the next few years, and I can see them being a possible play-in threat this season

What next for the Celtics?

The Celtics have a fairly easy schedule over the next week, playing the Rockets and Hornets back to back, and will play a doubleheader against the Washington Wizards.

I think that if the Celtics regroup and play some good basketball, with Brown and Tatum firing, they can win all four of these next games to make amends for this poor start

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