The Toronto Raptors suffered their worst loss of the season against the Boston Celtics 117-94.
The Raptors didn’t have enough in the tank and the Celtics took over the game in the second-half.
In the fourth quarter will the game all but over, Joe Mazzulla did something that did not sit well with many Raptors players and Darko Rajakovic.
Mazzulla challenged a play with 3;39 left in the game with the Celtics up by 27 points. This was a silly challenge considered the circumstances of the game.
After the game Dennis Schroder said that the Celtics disrespected the Raptors with the move.
When asked about the late-game challenge Darko Rajakovic simply replied with a “no comment.”
Jakob Poeltl even weighed in on the incident:
“I wouldn’t do it, but I don’t care.” — Jakob Poeltl with final word on Mazzulla’s silly coach’s challenge up 27 with 3:35 to play. pic.twitter.com/KTjRewcM4N
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) November 12, 2023
The late-game challenge has gotten a lot of backlash, but at the same time there are people who believe that the Raptors should just move on from it.
The Raptors will have a chance to get some revenge over the Celtics in less than a week. The two teams play each other again on Nov. 17. This is be the Raptors first In-Season Tournament game.
Joe Mazzulla didn’t back down from his decision to challenge with the game seemingly over:
“I think my responsibility is to my players first and it was a clear opportunity for me to empower the players, let them know that I’m coaching you and those minutes to me are just as important as the start of the game.”
The Celtics have dominated the Raptors as of late. The Celtics have won 5 games over the Raptors. Toronto looks to end their five-game skid against the Celtics later this week.
The Raptors didn’t quite end their four-game road trip the way that they wanted but they still came away from it 2-2.
Toronto lost to the Philadelphia 76ers but then were able to turn in some nice wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks before falling apart against the Celtics.
Toronto will now begin a four-game home stand starting on Nov. 13.
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