The Boston Celtics banked on their stringy defense as they carved a convincing 111-89 Game 5 win to take the 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinals face-off with the Toronto Raptors.
Behind Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Boston downed Toronto in Game 5. (Photo by Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports)
Coming off two straight losses, the Celtics came into Game 5 ready and locked in. Jaylen Brown led all scorers with his 27 markers, while All-Star point guard Kemba Walker produced 21 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Jayson Tatum hauled in a double-double night of 18 points and 10 boards as Boston takes a 3-2 lead in their series against the defending champs.
The Celtics prepared their defensive game plan well as they limited the Raptors to only 11 total points in the opening quarter. That masterful defensive stand set the tone for the whole game as the defending champs failed to eclipse the 90-point mark for the first time in the 2020 playoffs.
On the other hand, the Celtics attacked aggressively on offense, going to the free throw line 27 times and norming an efficient 49% overall clip from the field. They pounded a taller Raptors frontcourt in the paint, highlighted by this powerful facial dunk from Brown.
This slo-mo angle of Jaylen Brown's dunk
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Fred VanVleet led the charge for Toronto with his 18 points and 5 assists, while Norman Powell came off the bench to pour in 16 markers. But the defending champs failed to receive timely contributions from their two All-Stars as both Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry only chipped in 10 points apiece.
SCORES
Celtics (111) – Brown 27, Walker 21, Tatum 18, Theis 15, Wanamaker 15, Smart 12, G. Williams 3, Williams III 0, Ojeleye 0, Edwards 0, Kanter 0, Langford 0, Waters 0
Raptors (89) – VanVleet 18, Powell 16, Thomas 10, Siakam 10, Lowry 10, Anunoby 7, Ibaka 7, Hollis-Jefferson 4, Boucher 3, Davis 2, Johnson 2, Gasol 0
