Raptors look to stay hot with defending champion Celtics in town on TSN
Published
The Toronto Raptors were dominant against the Phoenix Suns in a 127-109 victory on Sunday, but the defending champion Boston Celtics are in town for a difficult showdown on TSN today.
The Raptors (18-39) put on a defensive showing against the Suns - particularly forward Scottie Barnes, who was primarily tasked with containing future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant.
Barnes rose to the occasion, holding Durant - a four-time NBA scoring champion - to 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the floor and 0-for-5 from three-point range.
"They did a great job as a team, denying me, doubling me, even doubling me when I didn’t have the ball sometimes," Durant said after Sunday's game. "Scottie is really good in that scheme, he’s long and athletic."
Holding Durant - the sixth-leading scorer in the NBA at 26.9 points per game this season - down was one challenge, but Barnes will have to rise to the occasion again against Jayson Tatum and the Celtics (41-16).
Tatum ranks seventh in the NBA in scoring at 26.8 points per game, and twice has gone over 20 points in Celtics victories against the Raptors this year, including a 23-point showing in a 125-71 dismantling on New Year's Eve.
However, in the last meeting between the two sides, Barnes and the Raptors had the upper hand.
Tatum finished with 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting in a 110-97 Raptors win on Jan. 15 at Scotiabank Arena. That was tied for Tatum's second-lowest scoring output of the season.
Barnes made a splash on the offensive end immediately after being taken with the fourth overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft and earning Rookie of the Year honours that season, but he's always maintained a focus on mastering a defensive game.
“That’s the type of player I am,” Barnes said in January. “I came into this league with that mindset. I feel like I’m a great defender. I feel like it doesn’t really get talked about enough, but I feel like I’m a great defender. I guard whoever. I can play one through five. That’s what I pride myself on. Every time I step on the floor, that’s what I’m ready to do.”
Barnes' teammates have taken notice of his impact defensively as well.
“He has the physical tools and the IQ to be first team all-defence, that’s the kind of guy he is,” said Garrett Temple. “Honestly, maybe even Defensive Player of the Year. He has that ability… And again, if he can get his endurance, his conditioning to a point where he can play that way on defence and still be who he is on offence then that’s when you get into the realm of perennial All-Star and all-NBA type guy.”
"It's unique to have a franchise player who is priding himself on being a defence-first guy," Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said after Sunday's game. "He really knows tendencies of players and that's really helping him defensively."
Boston enters Tuesday's game on a five-game winning streak and appear destined for the second seed in the Eastern Conference as they trail the Cleveland Cavaliers by six games in the standings.
The Raptors enter third-worst in the Eastern Conference, but a victory on Tuesday would give them a season series split against an elite division rival.