The Boston Celtics made a statement with their tight defense by choking the defending champion Toronto Raptors in a 122-100 win. Boston came out right from the jump with swarming defense, and Toronto’s offense never found a way to make it work. The third quarter Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Fred VanVleet led the Raptors with . . . just 13 points and 4 assists.
Boston came out strong in the first quarter, and thankfully, they sustained their defensive effort. After earning minutes with a career-best game against the Nets, Robert Williams was the first big off the bench, and he contributed really solid minutes.