Inside The Celtics

The Top 5 Plays from Monday's Celtics-Raptors Game

Blake Griffin's coming through in the clutch, Jayson Tatum besting O.G. Anunoby, and Jaylen Brown's clever ploy headline the breakdown of the top five plays from Monday's Celtics-Raptors game.

Bobby Krivitsky

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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Blake Griffin's coming through in the clutch, Jayson Tatum besting O.G. Anunoby, and Jaylen Brown's clever ploy headline the breakdown of the top five plays from Monday's Celtics-Raptors game.

Blake Griffin Rewinds Time

Scottie Barnes ends up with his back to the ball and turns to locate the rock at a suboptimal time as Blake Griffin sets a pindown for Jayson Tatum.

Marcus Smart sees that development and fires a kick-out pass to Tatum, who utilizes Barnes' momentum on his closeout against him. His drive draws Christian Koloko as Griffin fades to the corner.

Barnes closes to him but bites enough on his pump fake that Griffin takes him off the dribble and gets into the paint. Once there, he turns back the clock with a thunderous throwdown.

Jayson Tatum Gets the Best of O.G. Anunoby

Monday, Tatum was at his best in the third frame. He delivered 17 of his game-high 31 points and consistently attacked the basket. The play above exemplifies the latter point as he shakes one of the NBA's top perimeter defenders, O.G. Anunoby, then finishes with a reverse layup, negating Koloko's contest.

Jaylen Brown's Alley-Oop to Luke Kornet

The Celtics make it look like Luke Kornet and Grant Williams are coming to set high-ball screens on both sides of Anunoby, but at the last second, Williams slides to Anunoby's right shoulder, turning this into a staggered screen.

Thaddeus Young waits to pick up Brown at the three-point line, but with Barnes running to get back to him and Chris Boucher accounting for a potential skip pass to Williams at the opposite wing, Brown hits Kornet in stride for an uncontested layup.

Jaylen Brown's Clever Ploy

Marcus Smart's screen gets Anunoby off Brown, resulting in a favorable switch as Gary Trent Jr. takes Anunoby's place. Trent blitzes Brown, but the latter's strong with the ball and immediately changes direction.

Smart taking Anunoby with him prevents a potential trap and makes it easier for Brown to get middle. A slight shove does, too. Brown's jump stop gets Anunoby to leave his feet to contest, but it's a clever ploy as Brown pump fakes, leans in to draw contact, then cashes in on a clean look.

He also turned this into an old-school three-point play, capitalizing on the ensuing free throw.

Blake Griffin Comes Through in the Clutch

Trent comes to double Tatum, so the latter gives up the ball, swinging it to Smart. After the pass, Tatum's in front of Fred VanVleet, so he cuts into the paint while maintaining his position.

Smart's pump fake gets Trent to contest, then bring his hands down as the former gets the ball back to Tatum. The floater doesn't go, but Tatum's dive toward the rim draws Griffin's defender, Pascal Siakam. Griffin then wins the battle for the rebound, providing a clutch tip-in to help close out Boston's victory north of the border.

Further Reading

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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