By Canadian Press

Brown scores 20 points to lead Boston to dominant win over Raptors

Aug 7, 2020 | 8:42 PM

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Toronto Raptors’ seven-game winning streak, and their hot start in the NBA Walt Disney World bubble, came to an abrupt halt on Friday.

Led by Jaylen Brown’s 20 points, the Celtics beat Toronto 122-100 — the Raptors’ worst loss of the season.

Jayson Tatum added 18 points while Kemba Walker finished with 17.

Fred VanVleet scored 13 points to top the Raptors who trailed by as many as 40 points against their Eastern Conference rival and potential playoff opponent before coach Nick Nurse went deep into his bench for the fourth quarter.

Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Norm Powell and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 11 apiece, while Terence Davis added 10.   

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The Raptors (49-19) dropped their season series 3-1 to Boston (46-23), and are 3-1 in the NBA’s restart after the COVID-19 hiatus. 

The Raptors came out uncharacteristically flat. They scored just 14 points in the first quarter, trailed by 18 points in the second, and shot 3-for-19 from long distance in the half.

The Raptors defence, which had been so solid through their first three games, was a step slow all night, and when Tatum knocked down a three-pointer in front of Boston’s celebrating bench with 5:26 in the third, the Celtics took a 24-point lead.

The Raptors allowed Boston to score 39 points in the third and when Walker connected from long distance with four seconds left in the third, it sent the Celtics into the fourth with a 91-57 lead.

The Raptors play the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday in the fifth of their eight seeding-round games. 

Toronto’s 20-point loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in December had been its biggest defeat this season.

Powell’s four points off the bench were the most by a Raptors player in a woeful first quarter that saw them trail 21-14 heading into the second.

Toronto chucked up nine three-point attempts in the second quarter, Chris Boucher’s shot, late in the frame, was the only one to fall. The Raptors trailed 52-37 at halftime. 

Earlier Friday, the Raptors announced that guard/forward Patrick McCaw was travelling to New York for a treatment Monday on a benign mass on the back of his left knee.

“I think we’ll have to see how the procedure goes Monday, but what the reading was as of (Thursday) night was that it’s not that bad but it needs to be cleaned up just a little bit,” Nurse said. “So we’ll keep our fingers crossed that it goes well and it’s not too extensive.”

McCaw was seeing Dr. Riley Williams at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 7, 2020.  

The Canadian Press