Raptors’ offence struggles as Celtics take Game 1

LAKE BUENA VISA, Fla. – Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart had 21 points apiece as the Boston Celtics clobbered the NBA defending champion Toronto Raptors 112-94 in Game 1 of best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.

Kyle Lowry, who’d been a question mark after suffering a sprained left ankle in Game 4 a week ago against Brooklyn, had 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Toronto.

Serge Ibaka had 15 points and nine boards off the bench, Pascal Siakam had 13 points, OG Anunoby had 12, Fred VanVleet added 11 points, and Norm Powell finished with 10.

The Raptors shot just 10-for-40 from three-point range, while the Celtics made 17 of their 39 attempts.

A sluggish start was almost expected coming off an emotional week that saw NBA teams considering ending the season over racial injustice issues.

But the Raptors, who’ve been rolling, winning 32 of their past 37 games, were slow and disorganized on the defensive end against a team that has beaten them in four of five meetings this season. They weren’t much better on the offensive end, particularly in a first half that saw Toronto trail by as many as 19 points.