Tatum ejected as Celtics lose preseason finale to Raptors in OT originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Fans in Montreal now think very highly of preseason NBA basketball.
The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors played most of their preseason finale Friday as if it were a regular-season game, finishing with an overtime thriller as part of the NBA Canada Series. And the referees called it as if it were one, ejecting Jayson Tatum along the way.
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Tatum was tossed late in the third quarter during a sequence where Boston was whistled for three straight technical fouls, and the Celtics went on to lose 137-134 to the Raptors.
The Celtics finished the preseason with a 2-2 record. The next one counts as the defending Eastern Conference champions host the Philadelphia 76ers in the regular-season opener on Tuesday.
Here are some takeaways from a rather intense preseason finale.
Another lead surrendered to the Raptors
Last week, it was the Celtics’ bench that was unable to close out the Raptors. This time, it was the starters who were unable to protect a lead.
The Celtics led by as many as 12 in the first half but committed 19 turnovers and allowed 22 offensive rebounds, which helped the Raptors get back in the game.
What felt like a regular-season game throughout gave way to a preseason feel as the reserves closed out the game. With the Raptors up by five with 2:24 left in regulation, a tip-in by Noah Vonleh cut the deficit to three. Down two following a Grant Williams free throw, Sam Hauser hit a three with 1:12 remaining to give the Celtics a 125-124 lead and open a back-and-forth finish.
Dalano Banton hit a jumper to put the Raptors back in front, and Justin Jackson answered with a pull-up jumper to give the Celtics a one-point advantage with 36.8 seconds left. Hauser then fouled Josh Jackson, who hit one of two free throws with 21.5 seconds left to tie the score at 127-127. Payton Pritchard missed an open pull-up, sending the game to overtime.
The Raptors scored the first seven points of OT. The Celtics had one final chance to tie but Pritchard missed a step-back three in the closing seconds, bringing the preseason to an end.
Tatum’s preseason ends in the locker room
Tatum’s night ended early. But not for the reason that many might have expected.
Rather than getting rested in the preseason finale, Tatum was ejected when he was whistled for a second technical after complaining over a shooting foul while defending Scottie Barnes with 30.5 seconds remaining in the third. Tatum waved his arm in disgust toward the ref, which was all it took to end his night, preseason or not.
Williams then was also called for a technical foul for making a comment to the ref, and the Celtics then received a delay of game call for yet another ‘T’ after Tatum remained on the floor. Banton converted all three technical free throws and Barnes then hit both of hit attempts for a five-point swing that evened the score at 98-98 heading into the fourth.
It made for what would have been a bizarre scene even in a regular-season game.
Tatum finished with 21 points on 6-for-16 shooting, nine rebounds and five assists. He struggled from three-point range in his first two preseason appearances, going 2-for-15 from deep, including an 0-for-7 performance against these same Raptors last week. Over one stretch of the second quarter on Friday, it seemed that Tatum had found his rhythm. He connected on three triples over in a three-minute span, helping to give the Celtics a 52-41 lead.
But he finished the night just 3-of-10 from distance, bringing his preseason three-point shooting to just 20 percent (5-for-25).
Brogdon, White also exit early for different reasons
Many of the Celtics regulars played as if it were a regular-season game. That was not the case for sixth man Malcolm Brogdon.
The point guard didn’t play in the second half after exiting with a sore right leg.
Brogdon, who chose the Celtics over the Raptors when the Pacers approached him about a potential trade in the offseason, played 14 minutes in the first half, recording eight points and two assists.
Derrick White didn’t get to finish the game either after fouling out late in the fourth after playing 26 minutes. White made his first four three-point attempts and finished with 23 points, matching Jaylen Brown for a team-high.
The battle for roster spots
Those battling for the final roster spots didn’t get much of a final preseason audition.
The starters played close to regular-season minutes, leaving little playing time for those hoping to make an impression.
Vonleh, who seems assured of one of the two open spots, played the final 10 minutes, finishing with six points and four rebounds. Justin Jackson played the final eight minutes, knocking down a clutch go-ahead bucket in regulation. Luke Kornet and Jake Layman each had DNPs.
As for other rotation players, Blake Griffin had six points and three rebounds in 11 minutes during the follow-up to his Celtics debut.
Hauser entered the game having gone 12-for-20 from deep (60 percent) over the first three preseason games. He missed his first five attempts from deep against the Raptors on Friday before knocking down a big one with 1:12 remaining to give the Celtics a 125-124 lead in the fourth. He went 1-for-7 from three-point range for three points in 22 minutes.