Raptors face first road test of season versus Celtics: Preview, start time and more

On to the next, right? The Toronto Raptors had an amped up crowd behind them Wednesday night, but couldn’t muster up much on either end of the floor and fell at home to the Washington Wizards.

The Boston Celtics opened their season on the road in New York, and fought to the bitter end before dropping a double-OT heartbreaker to the Knicks.

And so we find ourselves here in Boston, with both of these teams looking for their first win of the 2021-22 season.

Where to Watch:

Sportsnet, 7:30 PM EST

Lineups:

Toronto – Fred VanVleet, Goran Dragic, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Precious Achiuwa

Boston – Marcus Smart, Josh Richardson, Jayson Tatum, Juancho Hernangomez, Robert Williams

Injuries:

Toronto – Pascal Siakam (shoulder – out), Yuta Watanabe (calf – out)

Boston – Al Horford (health and safety protocols — out); Marcus Smart (knee —probable); Josh Richardson (migraine — out)

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Got their number

Dating back to the Bubble, the Raptors are 3-8 in their last 11 games versus the Celtics, and that includes getting swept 3-0 last season. The Celtics, with their perimeter scorers, have simply been a bad matchup for the Raptors since Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard left town.

And this Raptors team is not as good as those Raptors teams that went 3-8.

Still, new guys like Precious Achiuwa and Scottie Barnes should have no institutional fear of this Celtics team. Maybe tonight will be different!

Contain the Js

Tonight will be different, if not in outcome, then certainly in personnel. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been Raptor killers the past two seasons. The last time these two teams met, the Jays combined for 48 points and 19 rebounds.

And while the Raptors have gotten longer and more athletic (see the aforementioned Barnes and Achiuwa) and are on paper a better perimeter defenive team, they’re also missing Pascal Siakam, who remains a top defender. And the Raptors still start two small backcourt players.

Asking a rookie, a sophomore and OG Anunoby to slow down Brown and Tatum is a tall order.

Get Smart (yeah, I know, you’ve heard that one before)

Alongside Tatum and Brown, you can’t dismiss what Marcus Smart has done against the Raptors either. Smart missed all three of last season’s matchups, but I know you don’t forget (can’t forget) what Smart did to the Raptors in the 2020 playoffs.

First, there was Game 2, in which Smart dropped in five three-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Celtics came back from eight points down to win 102-99. Smart would go on to shoot 39% from three in the series; he’s a career 32% shooter from distance.

Then there was Game 7, where Smart blocked chased down and blocked a Norman Powell layup with under a minute to go and the Raptors trailing by two.

That’s the last time Smart faced the Raptors. I’m willing to bet he’s been looking forward to tonight.