5 takeaways as Semi Oeljeye Celtics’ comfortable victory over Raptors flares up

The Boston Celtics crossed on Thursday after a 120-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors on the strength of their three-point shooting and ball movement.

Five takeaways from a win the Celtics really had to claim.

The Celtics needed some positive things.

Before Celtics fans explain everything, they need to remember that Thursday’s game was not really a fair representation of Toronto. .

But the Celtics just clicked on Thursday. The appetizer was excellent. The stars (including Kemba Walker) all played like stars, even if they did not shoot well. The bank sits in. The defense has some charge. After a cruel journey on the West Coast with a difficult series of games ahead, the Celtics needed some positive things, and Thursday’s game provided much of that.

Semi Oilyye looked good as an appetizer.

Oeieye had a starting role, and had one of his better games. He started with a lineup, then made six of his eight three-point attempts en route to 24 points, and he feasted in the corners of the space created by Boston’s slashers (who we will reach).

It looked like a reliable three-point striker in the starting line-up was a big difference for the Celtics, who struggled to find consistent forwards. One game will not (and should not) include Oeieye in the role, but a performance like Thursday could be enough to give him another look. As always, the key for Oeieye is to prevent him from getting ice cold when he misses his first three-point attempt.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were facilitators.

As noted above, Oeieye – as well as Payton Pritchard, who scored 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting – benefited greatly from Boston’s slashers. Brown and Tatum were the machete. Brown finishes with ten assists, while Tatum gives nine. The defense collapses, and when it collapses, Boston’s stars are ready and willing to play the right game. While the duo completed a joint 8-for-27 series, it was crucial.

The passing mentality has made a world of difference. Boston has a lot of talent for attacking inequalities and punishing inferior defenders, but doing so for an entire game is a recipe for stagnant offense. When the ball bounces, baskets are much easier.

This is, of course, a two-way street: the stars of the Celtics must move the ball, and their role players must make the blows the stars have created for them. If it continues, the Celtics will be in a much better condition.

Grant Williams is slowly expanding his game.

Williams has been quietly doing more with his offense over the past two weeks. The most striking, of course, was his shooting – Williams scored 45.8 percent of his 3 points this season.

But he is also expanding in other areas. On Thursday, Williams hit a one-dribble pull-up, a driver after a multi-dribble ride, and he threw a pass along the baseline to an open shooter in the corner for a three-pointer.

Productive role players make a big difference. It remains to be seen whether players like Williams, Pritchard and Oeieye can contribute consistently, but the ceiling will rise if they can.

Kemba Walker had a great night.

If Walker’s fight is a takeaway every time it happens, it’s only fair to note when he’s having a good game. Walker finished with 21 points on 5-for-12 shooting and buried a flurry of triplets – 5-for-7 from behind the arc.

The Raptors are a good game for Walker, with two players having a good partner for his defense. But like Tatum and Brown, Walker has benefited quite a bit from the constant production around him.