What Stood Out in Loss vs. Raptors: Under Challenging Circumstances, Celtics Don't Stray from Identity

“To be able to have guys come in and keep that culture alive, it just speaks volumes to what Ime (Udoka) and everybody on this roster have done." - Marcus Smart, following Monday's game.

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Despite missing four of their five starters and playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Celtics not only competed with but often outperformed their hosts from north of the border on Monday.

From a standings perspective, a loss is a loss, and this one drops Boston from first to fourth in the East. However, the Celtics are only a game from reclaiming the top seed from the Heat, who they play on Wednesday.

Now, for what stood out from a game where despite a 115-112 overtime loss, the culture the franchise is working hard to cultivate and maintain was on full display.

Smart but Simple Defensive Strategy Nearly Propels the Celtics Into the Win Column

The Raptors rank 19th in three-point shooting percentage, so Boston backed off, daring them to beat the Celtics from beyond the arc. It nearly worked, too, as Toronto's long-range struggles, going 10/39 (25.6 percent) on threes, almost led to Boston pulling out the win.

However, Pascal Siakam, who's back to playing like he was a few years ago, weaponized the space the Celtics afforded him. He used that real estate to build momentum, getting deep into the paint, then capitalized on his length, shooting over smaller defenders. Siakam finished the night with 40 points. Thirty-two of them came from in the paint; none were from beyond the arc. Spicy P outscored everyone in the fourth quarter and overtime, putting ten points on the board when his team needed him most.

Another problem that plagued the Celtics is that while both teams gave up 16 offensive rebounds, the Raptors grabbing five from the final five minutes of regulation through the extra frame led to five second-chance points. Conversely, Boston often went one-and-done in that stretch, corralling one offensive rebound and not scoring any second-chance baskets.

Celtics Operate Effectively Within Their System

Offensively, the traits fueling Boston's growth were on display for much of the night. The Celtics played decisively, moving the ball effectively, assisting on 23 of 39 made field goals, and a willingness to attack the basket paved the way to 52 points in the paint.

In the clip below, there are three defenders near Payton Pritchard. A Luke Kornet screen dislodges Fred VanVleet, and Pritchard sells that he's going right before crossing over to his left to lose Precious Achiuwa as OG Anunoby drops down to pick up Grant Williams, who's open in the left corner. Pritchard then elevates off two feet, going at Siakam and Chris Boucher and coming away with two points.

However, the Celtics committed too many turnovers, coughing the ball up 18 times. Only two of those happened from the fourth quarter through overtime, but they occurred in the final five minutes of regulation while trying to fend off the Raptors.

Also, while Boston's aggressive playing style led to taking 28 free throws and scoring nine more points from the charity stripe than the opposition, the Celtics went 22/28 (78.6 percent) from the foul line, leaving too many points on the table.

Doing a better job taking care of the ball and converting on more of their free throws might've helped the Celtics overcome their struggles down the stretch. From the final five minutes of regulation through the extra frame, they shot 28.6 percent from the field, including 1/5 (20 percent) from beyond the arc, and got outscored 23-15.

Marcus Smart, the lone starter who suited up tonight, generated 28 points, a team-high. It wasn't an efficient performance, as he went 10/25 (40 percent) from the field, including 2/11 (18.2 percent) on threes, but with four starters out, a significant amount of those shots were going to get redistributed to Smart. He also dished out four assists, and he set up his teammates for plenty of quality looks that didn't go down.

There was an ill-advised three, a sloppy turnover in crunch time, and he gave the ball away seven times, which is too many. But between stepping up as a scorer, continuing to lead this team as its floor general, and playing well defensively as the Raptors frequently tried to target some of his teammates, Smart fought admirably on Monday.

Aaron Nesmith Makes the Most of His Opportunity

The second-year wing played well in Monday's loss. Taking advantage of a rare opportunity to start, Nesmith registered 13 points on 5/8 (62.5 percent) shooting, including knocking down two of his four shots from beyond the arc. He made plays off the dribble, driving to the rim and producing six of his points in the paint, and he buried a clutch three that, for a moment, seemed like it might be enough to help the Celtics prevail.

In the following clip, the clutch three, Marcus Smart comes off screens from Derrick White and Daniel Theis; the Raptors switch the first pick as VanVleet takes White while Dalano Banton heads over to Smart. Banton then fights over the screen from Theis while Thaddeus Young drops back. But Smart lowers his shoulders, uses his left arm to hook Banton's left thigh, and he turns the corner. That forces Anunoby to rotate off Nesmith to protect the rim.

VanVleet drops down to zone two defenders, and since he's closer to the right corner, Smart kicks the ball out to White on the right wing. He then swings it to the corner as VanVleet closes out to him, Smart obstructs Banton's path to Nesmith, and the second-year wing buries a three that puts Boston up by four with under a minute to play.

BIG SHOT pic.twitter.com/2HEpuKK2ey

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 29, 2022

He also grabbed four rebounds, swiped three steals, and his defensive effort drew praise from his head coach after the game.

When asked about playing Nesmith down the stretch, Udoka said: "He was our best defender on Siakam, so we went with him."

Without losing sight of the fact it's one game, it's an encouraging performance from Nesmith, who can help pace Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the final stretch of the season and contribute as the ninth-player in Boston's playoff rotation.

Up Next

The Celtics host the Heat Wednesday night. Tip-off is at 7:30 ET. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

Celtics Sign Juwan Morgan to 10-Day Contract

Robert Williams Has Torn Meniscus: Where Do the Celtics Go from Here?

[Photos and Videos] Celtics Raise Kevin Garnett's #5 to the Rafters

Profile on Celtics' Latest Signing, Nik Stauskas

Profile on Celtics' Newest Signing, Matt Ryan

The Trials, Tribulations, and Growth of Ime Udoka in His First Year as Celtics' Head Coach