The Celtics were short-handed on the second night of a back-to-back on Friday, but they pulled out a hard-fought 120-118 victory over the Raptors to stay perfect at home.
Here are the takeaways.
1. The Celtics survived a wild finish.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Celtics held a 13-point advantage, but with Jaylen Brown on the bench (and with Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford all sidelined for maladies that are likely euphemisms for “rest”), the Raptors needed fewer than four minutes to go on an 18-3 run and take a 104-102 lead.