Three Studs, Three Duds As Celtics Demolish Raptors In Victory

BOSTON — The Celtics closed the door on 2024 on a high note.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla welcomed Jrue Holiday back to the starting lineup, helping reassemble Boston’s go-to unit. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to score 35 points — through three quarters — and the defense demonstrated the urgency needed for the Celtics to outlast the Toronto Raptors before the New Year’s fireworks began popping.

Here are three studs and three duds from Boston’s 125-71 win over Toronto on Tuesday:

STUDS
Jrue Holiday
Holiday’s return was a difference-maker for the Celtics.

Boston gained a crucial spark in Holiday’s defense and outside shooting. The 34-year-old scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, knocking down four 3-pointers and tallying a game-high three steals to re-establish the lethal defensive tandem with Derrick White — who recorded four blocks and a steal.

Mazzulla sat Holiday and the rest of Boston’s starters for the fourth quarter.

Payton Pritchard
Boston’s reserve unit chief answered the call once the Celtics were in dire need of a first-half boost.

Pritchard tallied all 12 points from Boston’s bench by halftime, knocking down four 3-pointers to uplift the offense. The undersized sharpshooter gave the Celtics 19 points when the dust settled, with six rebounds, four assists and three steals, registering an impressive plus-36 rating.

Scottie Barnes
Barnes was the lone glimmer of hope to come from Toronto’s end.

The 23-year-old notched a double-double by scoring 16 points with 13 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Barnes struggled mightily to get going from beyond the arc, shooting an ineffective 1-of-8 from three, but remained involved on both ends of the floor throughout the contest.

DUDS
Boston and Toronto’s ice-cold first-quarter
The Celtics took their sweet time getting on the scoreboard, shooting 2-for-12 from the floor and 1-for-8 from three through the first six minutes of the game. It took the team shooting 0-for-8 before Jaylen Brown ended the scoreless slump and got the C’s on the board, generating a somewhat sarcastic applause from the TD Garden crowd.

Boston ended the frame with a 23-12 lead over Toronto after the Raptors shot 5-of-23 and went 0-for-12 from three. It wouldn’t be a reach to label that the most unwatchable quarter by the Celtics amid the NBA’s ratings-challenged season.

Kelly Olynyk
Olynyk, a former Celtic, didn’t provide much coming off the bench for the Raptors.

The 12-year veteran struggled to get going, finishing with just five points on 2-of-5 shooting and one rebound in eight minutes. Olynyk’s 6-foot-11 frame and reputation for knocking down threes at a serviceable rate did nothing for Toronto; instead, the 33-year-old performed like a two-way liability.

Davion Mitchell
The last time Mitchell stepped foot in Boston, the 26-year-old rubbed the reigning NBA Finals MVP, Brown, the wrong way.

Mitchell aggressively bumped Brown during a fourth-quarter play during Boston’s matchup with Toronto on Nov. 16. Brown expressed his frustrations with Mitchell and the officiating and as the Raptors guard returned for a rematch, he had nothing for Brown or the Celtics. Mitchell scored nine points on four shots, logging a minus-18 rating.