Takeaways from Raptors Preseason Upset Victory Over the Celtics

The Toronto Raptors got red hot from three-point range early and kept shooting in Tuesday's preseason victory over the Boston Celtics

Oct 15, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick (1) celebrates scoring against the Boston Celtics during the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images / Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Just shoot.

That’s what the Toronto Raptors have been asking their players to do this preseason. For now, the results are largely meaningless. It’s entirely OK to miss if the look is good and offense creates a shot. But after attempting just 31.7 three-pointers per game through Toronto’s first three preseason games, the second-fewest in the league, something had to change.

On Tuesday, it did.

“Gotta take those,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said of his team’s lack of three-point shooting. “We've got to do a better job of recognizing those situations and shooting with confidence.”

Toronto made just one three-pointer in the first half Sunday against the Boston Celtics. This time around, the Raptors connected on seven of their first eight three-pointers and hit 10 before the first quarter was up. It was the kind of performance Rajaković had been looking for from his squad who pulled off the 119-118 upset of the Celtics in Toronto's lone home preseason game this year.

Some of the threes were the kinds you’d expect. Gradey Dick nailed a deep three-pointer from Davion Mitchell, he followed that up moments later by working a two-man game in the corner with Scottie Barnes that resulted in another three-pointer for the second-year sniper. Dick connected on two more pull-up jumpers from two-point range as he continued to show off his growing offensive arsenal.

More unexpected, though, was Barnes’ three-pointers. After failing to connect on any of his first six three-pointers this preseason, Barnes looked like an entirely different player Tuesday. He popped behind the three-point line out of screens and let it fly with confidence. If he found himself with even a split second of space, he pulled the trigger from behind the arc. At one point, he even stepped into a pull-up three in transition with 21 seconds still on the shot clock.

"I'm encouraging all the players to work on their shot and to be ready to shoot wide open shots," Rajaković said post-game. "I kept telling guys tonight in the game as well, 'be ready, when the ball comes, if you have open one, shoot it. Shoot it with confidence.'"

Toronto jumped ahead by as many as 24 in the first quarter.

Then came the offensive drought. The Raptors shot 0-for-8 from three-point range in the second quarter and went four and a half minutes without scoring a single point. Boston took that opportunity to come all the way back, dropping 40 points on the Raptors in the second quarter.

Tuesday showed what this Raptors squad can look like when they keep it competitive from behind the arc. They couldn't keep up their torrid first-quarter pace, but they didn't get fazed by their misses and kept letting them fly to keep up with a Celtics team known for its three-point barrage. When Boston pulled its starters midway through the fourth, Toronto only trailed Boston by a single made three-pointer.

Like it or not, that’s what the modern NBA is all about.

Toronto isn’t going to compete with teams like Boston this season because the Raptors don’t have nearly the quality nor the quantity of shooters that the Celtics do. The hope, though, is that Toronto can spend this season and however long it takes finding and developing players who can shoot at a high level.

When those shots fall, Toronto will look great. More often than not, though, they won’t, and on those nights, the Raptors will really struggle.

Game Notes

• Jamison Battle has earned himself a longer look this preseason and was the first of the group on non-guaranteed deals to see the court against Boston. Considering how important three-point shooting is going to be for this team this season, it wouldn't be too surprising if the Raptors opt to go with Battle over Bruno Fernando and Jahmi'us Ramsey.

• Gradey Dick struggled at times finishing near the hoop earlier this preseason, but Tuesday was a step in the right direction. The 20-year-old had 27 points on 12-for-21 shooting in 32 minutes against Boston and looked smooth pulling up for jumpers and taking it to the hoop inside the arc.

• Barnes added one more three-pointer in the fourth, a running three he hit before immediately spinning around to celebrate. He finished the night with 26 points with five three-pointers in 30 minutes to go with 10 assists and nine rebounds.

• Davion Mitchell has looked like a totally capable backup point guard for Toronto with solid playmaking chops and impressive point-of-attack defense. If he can shoot the way he did Tuesday, connecting on three threes against Boston, he'll be a great pickup for the Raptors.

• Scottie Barnes and Ochai Agbaji spent most of the night defending Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and did a pretty admirable job at that. Rajaković talked earlier this year about wanting to use Barnes as more of a help defender as opposed to a primary on-ball defender, but against teams with two star guards like Boston that may be tough to do.

• Agbaji had his best game of the preseason with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. If he can deliver something like that on a somewhat regular basis, Toronto should be thrilled moving forward.

• Jamal Shead exited in the first half with left hamstring tightness and was immediately ruled out.

Up Next: Brooklyn Nets

The Raptors will play their final preseason game on Friday when they head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET.