TORONTO – Losses continue to mount for the injury-plagued Toronto Raptors.
Marcus Smart scored 21 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 109-97 win over Toronto on Sunday in the Raptors’ first game of seven in a row at home, Toronto’s longest home stay of the season.
Fred VanVleet had 27 points, while rookie Scottie Barnes added 21 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors (9-12), who have lost nine of their last 12 games. Pascal Siakam finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, Svi Mykhailiuk had 12 points and Precious Achiuwa grabbed nine rebounds, the team’s most.
Al Horford had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Boston (11-10).
The Raptors were home after a six-game road trip that saw them win only twice. They have been hit hard by injuries, losing OG Anunoby to a hip injury just one game on the trip. Now he has missed six in a row. The Raptors also didn’t have Gary Trent Jr. on Sunday, who suffered a deep calf bruise in Friday’s loss at Indiana, and Khem Birch (knee swelling).
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At 84-78 in the fourth quarter on Sunday, Mykhailiuk scored five straight points to lead Toronto to one point, but Smart had a pair of 3s as part of a 14-2 Celtics run for a 13-point lead with 6:21 to play.
When Josh Richardson stole the ball from Barnes and scored with two and a half minutes to go, fans headed for the Scotiabank Arena exits.
Before the start, the Raptors announced that veteran guard Goran Dragic had left the Raptors due to a personal matter. General manager Bobby Webster said in a statement that the 35-year-old, acquired in the deal that sent Kyle Lowry to Miami, had the full support of the club. Dragic has been used sparingly in favor of the team’s young developing guards like Trent Jr. and Dalano Banton, who appear in just five games.
“Goran is, first of all, a really good guy,” Raptors coach Nurse said. “Extremely professional, very wise with all his international experience and all his years in the NBA. He’s a nice guy to hang out with and train with. “
Neither team led by double digits during the first half. The Raptors shot a horrible 4 of 13 from three-point range in the first quarter, but managed to stay within four points of Boston and lost 27-26 to start the second.
Boston opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run to take a nine-point lead, but the Raptors struggled to a point with a solid stretch that saw Yuta Watanabe punch a triple, then a steal from Barnes, who threw a pass. across the court to a speedy Siakam who finished with a thunderous dunk. Toronto trailed 54-51 at halftime.
Barnes scored three 3s and 12 points in a third quarter that saw the Raptors draw six times.
The Raptors finish the calendar year with 12 of 15 home games. Next up is the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
This Canadian Press report was first published on November 28, 2021.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca