Well, we’re all tied up.
The Toronto Raptors evened up its Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics at 2-2 Saturday with a 100-93 Game 4 win in the Walt Disney World bubble.
The C’s struggled on offense throughout the contest.
Pascal Siakam (23 points, 11 rebounds), Kyle Lowry (22 points, 11 rebounds) and Fred VanVleet (17 points, six rebounds) led the charge for Toronto.
Jayson Tatum (24 points, 10 rebounds) earned himself a double-double in the losing effort. Kemba Walker (15 points, eight rebounds) also had a strong outing, while Jaylen Brown (14 points, six rebounds) gained steam late.
With the Raptors’ win, the series now moves to a best-of-three situation.
Here’s how it all went down:
STARTING FIVE
PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Marcus Smart
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Daniel Theis
TORONTO FINDS EARLY EDGE
The Raptors wasted no time taking an early lead, though the Celtics managed to remain within striking distance.
The two teams traded leads early in the game, though Toronto managed to create a small lead later in the quarter. Lowry led all scorers with 11 points in the first.
Tatum and Walker, meanwhile, were the Celtics’ stars in the first with six and five points apiece. Robert Williams also contributed to the C’s cause with four points of his own, including an impressive basket off the pick-and-roll.
Boston also looked solid on the defensive end, too, thanks to Marcus Smart.
The Celtics made it a one-point game with less than two minutes on the clock, but the Raptors extended their lead to 31-27 after 12 minutes.
EVEN STEVEN
The Raptors entered the second with the advantage, but the Celtics managed to even things up by halftime.
Boston slowly chipped away at Toronto’s lead, with Tatum and Brown leading the way. They combined for 14 points in the first half.
The C’s finally took the lead with 2:11 on the clock and nearly ended the half up three, but a nasty three from VanVleet squashed those hopes.
Boston shot 44.5 percent from the field, but just 4-for-19 from beyond the arc. The score was tied 49-all entering the second half.
RAPTORS DOMINATE THIRD (AGAIN)
Toronto had itself another dominant third quarter.
The Raptors regained its edge in the first half of the quarter thanks to some more solid play from Siakam. Toronto led Boston 17-6 in second-chance points in the quarter, too.
Boston’s struggles from beyond the arc continued through third, however. Tatum, Walker, Brown and Smart were just 2-for-18 from three as a group.
This allowed the Raptors to open up an eight-point lead entering the final frame. Siakam led all scorers with 20 points, while Lowry and VanVleet had 14 and 17, respectively.
C’S COME UP SHORT
It all came down to this quarter, but the Celtics simply couldn’t close the gap.
Toronto’s momentum carried over into the fourth though Boston remained aggressive in the final moments of the game. Brown gained some confidence with 10 points in the quarter, hitting his first three of the game with just over two minutes to play after missing his first nine attempts.
The Raptors gave the C’s plenty of chances to even things up late in the game, but Boston failed to capitalize on some quality opportunities at the free throw line and beyond the arc to push them over the edge.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Now that’s how you score points.
UP NEXT
The Celtics and Raptors will meet Monday for Game 5 of the series, with tip-off slated for 6:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
