Barnes buckets team-high 21, but Celtics deal Raptors 1st road loss of season
Toronto's road record moves to 4-1, travels to Philadelphia to face 76ers on Thursday
Jayson Tatum had 22 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in the Boston Celtics' 104-88 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
Robert Williams III added 16 points and 13 rebounds, with a career-best eight coming on the offensive glass. Dennis Schroder scored 20 points, Josh Richardson had 15 and Marcus Smart 13.
"It was all about aggressiveness," Williams said. "To be honest, I felt like us as a team did a great job of rebounding, not just me."
In the teams' first meeting of the season — in Boston's home opener on Oct. 22 — the Raptors won by 32 points, and Celtics coach Ime Udoka said after that his team got "punked out there." Boston was booed off the court at halftime.
"We're learning the intensity and effort it takes to win every night," Udoka said after Boston led wire-to-wire Wednesday.
WATCH | Raptors suffer 1st road loss, Celtics claim 1st home win:
Boston led by 16 at halftime and 12 after three quarters.
The Raptors gave up 12 offensive rebounds.
The Celtics broke it open with an 8-0 run midway into the fourth, pulling ahead 95-79 on Tatum's driving basket with 5:35 to play.
Tatum shot just 8-of-24 from the floor.
"He didn't have the best shooting night, but he knows how they're going to guard him and he knows the intensity he draws every night," Udoka said. "Our big point of emphasis with them overshifting and guarding on him, as you saw in the first half, he was really getting into the paint and kicking out for shots."
Playing just his second game of the season after being sidelined with a shoulder injury, Pascal Siakim scored eight points in 30 minutes for Toronto.
"It's probably just all about timing," Nurse said. "I think they caught him off guard with a few of those double teams."
WATCH | The Raptors are on track to exceed expectations this season:
