Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors game preview, injury report, and info - November 10, 2021

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The Boston Celtics just had their longest break of the season so far, but it didn’t come at an ideal time. They had to sit there for three whole days and think about the game-winner that Luka Doncic hit over them in Dallas. Tonight they are back in action and looking for revenge over a Toronto Raptors team that smoked them earlier this season.

Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors game preview, injury report, and info

How to Watch

Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Channel(s): NBC Sports Boston, NBA League Pass

Team Breakdowns

Although Doncic played spoiler the other night, the Boston Celtics actually played some solid basketball. Things were rough in the first half, but they really turned things around in the third quarter. They were playing great basketball, and all without Jaylen Brown. Unfortunately, he will miss 1-2 weeks with a hamstring injury, according to head coach Ime Udoka.

The highlight of the Mavericks game was Jayson Tatum. He had been struggling mightily to start the season, but he finally put things together in the last game. He ended the night with 32 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two steals while shooting 12-19 from the field and 6-8 from three-point range. It was his first “Jayson Tatum-esque” performance of the season, and it was a welcomed sight for Celtics fans everywhere. Despite that, Boston still sits at 4-6 on the season, but they have won two of their last three.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors have picked things up after a slow start to the year. Since starting the year 1-3, Toronto has won five of their last seven games, and each of their two losses were extremely close games (one-point loss to Cleveland, three-point loss to Chicago). They have been playing great basketball, and a lot of that can be attributed to the development of OG Anuoby and the great play of rookie Scottie Barnes. Add in the fact that former All-Star Pascal Siakam is back, and this Raptors team is looking dangerous.

Injury Report

The Boston Celtics have two players listed on their injury report for tonight’s game. Jaylen Brown, as mentioned, will miss the next 1-2 weeks with a hamstring injury. In addition, two-way player Brodric Thomas is listed as out with a shoulder injury.

Toronto also has two players listed on their injury report going into tonight. Forward Yuta Watanabe is out with a calf injury and center Khem Birch is out due to a knee issue.

Keys to the Game

The most important thing to remember tonight is that the Raptors destroyed the C’s last time out. Robert Williams spoke about getting payback on Toronto for spoiling Boston’s home opener earlier this year. He said that the loss left a nasty taste in all of [their] mouths” and that they “plan on going out, playing [their] hardest, and get revenge.” This is the mentality that everyone on the Boston Celtics needs to be playing with. There’s no excuse for letting the Raptors beat them at home twice in one year.

Secondly, Jayson Tatum needs to put on another show. With Jaylen Brown sidelined, this is going to be a consistent key for the Celtics. They need Tatum to play like the superstar he is if they want to compete in the majority of these games. Going into the season the Raptors weren’t really seen as a threat, but they are a lot better than expected. Tatum is going to have to be at the top of his game tonight if the C’s want a win.

Lastly, the Celtics need to make their threes. Not just that, but they need to focus on making their wide-open threes. Despite being top-ten in wide-open threes per game, they are bottom-five in percentage. That statistic is absolutely unacceptable. Boston will have no chance at winning if they are making their threes at such a low clip. The offense is doing a phenomenal job of generating open looks from deep, but the players are just missing. Three-point shooting has been the biggest issue for the Boston Celtics this year, and that trend cannot continue.

Pregame Show

Make sure to tune in to our live pregame show, “The Banner Town Build Up.” We are live 30 minutes before every Celtics game at @GuyBostonSports on YouTube and Facebook. See you there at 7:00 p.m. (EST) tonight!