Newsletter

NBA Playoffs: The Boston Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors to reach the conference finals

The Boston Celtics last won a conference title in 2010

The Boston Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals with a 92-87 win over defending champions the Toronto Raptors in the decisive game of the series.

The Raptors’ Fred VanVleet missed a three-point attempt that would have drawn the game 90-90 with 12 seconds left, then Kemba Walker hit his free throws on the other side to seal the win.

Jayson Tatum of the Celtics starred with 29 points and 12 rebounds in game seven.

The Celtics will face the Miami Heat in the conference finals.

The first game of that series – the Celtics’ third conference final appearance in the past four seasons – will take place on Tuesday.

Heat reached the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2014 with a Victory in series 4-1 about the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Raptors had returned from 2-0 to draw the series against the Celtics at 3-3, but VanVleet’s 20 points were not enough to help them win.

Jaylen Brown added 21 points and eight rebounds for the Celtics, while Marcus Smart scored 16 points, six assists and a crucial block in the last minute.

“I put my hat on Toronto. They are defending champions and have a lot of heart,” said Tatum.

“They made us win. I think we responded after almost being 3-0, then drawing 2-2. It was great and I think it will help us to move forward.”

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending