What began as a deservedly-hyped matchup between the top two teams in the East quickly turned into a one-sided beatdown as the second-place Toronto Raptors beat the Boston Celtics by 20 points at home, 111-91.

While Tuesday’s game wasn’t nationally-televised in the U.S., it garnered more attention from the greater NBA audience than a typical Raps game as fans and media alike tuned in to see two teams separating themselves from the pack in the East. With the win, Toronto is one game back from Boston for first place, and both teams have nearly a seven-game cushion on the third-place Cavaliers, who are imploding in front of our eyes.

What they saw was a reminder of how dangerous this Raptors team can be on both ends of the floor. Toronto’s all-star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined for 38 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in three quarters of action. C.J. Miles had 20 points to lead a balanced performance from a bench unit that, as Celtics coach Brad Stevens put it, “overwhelmed” their opponent.

It was a complete team effort and, as much as the Raptors players and coach Dwane Casey downplayed it after the win, made a loud statement that, as you’ll see, was heard around the league. Here’s what they’re saying about the Raptors after Tuesday’s monster win.

Boston Globe — Celtics bow to Raptors

Not only were the Eastern Conference top-seeded Celtics completely embarrassed in their showdown with the No. 2 Raptors, their bench was totally outplayed by their Toronto counterparts, which made all the difference.



The Raptors’ bench fueled a second-quarter run that allowed Toronto to take a 21-point halftime lead and then run away for a 111-91 win.



It was one of the Celtics’ worst performances of the season. They again couldn’t defend Kyle Lowry. They lost out on seemingly every 50-50 ball, and they allowed Toronto’s array of 3-point shooters to get comfortable.



…It was supposed to be a showdown of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference and with Cleveland going through a month-long meltdown, the Celtics and Raptors have their best chance in years rule the conference. The Raptors appeared to take this matchup more seriously and personally.



They were clearly the better team and some key Celtics (Jayson Tatum, 4 points) and Al Horford (2 points) shrunk in the moment.



The fourth quarter was essentially garbage time with Stevens clearing his bench by the eight-minute mark. The discouraging factor was that All-Stars Lowry and DeMar DeRozan only combined for 38 points. It was the Raptors’ depth that beat the Celtics, and now they stand one game back of the Celtics with two months left in the season.

Boston Herald — Celtics can’t do anything right in loss to Toronto

Many here have decried the lack of league broadcast exposure for the talented Raptors, especially with last night’s game against the Celtics a potential conference finals preview.



The Celtics, conversely, would have preferred that all recording devices were turned off.



…The Celtics went into halftime shooting 38 percent, and with 6:39 left in the game and the Raptors leading by 22 points, they remained stuck, shooting 38.4 percent.

Toronto led by as many as 29 points in the third quarter, before the Celtics cut that edge back to 23 (83-60) by the end of the period.



But the Raptors bench, which dominated its Celtics counterparts, pushed the margin back up to 29 early in the fourth quarter, with the visitors once again straining to cut the lead down to 20.



The Raptors bench had engineered a 13-0 mid-quarter run in the second, with the result a 58-37 halftime lead. Through the first 24 minutes the Celtics hadn’t played well at either end, with the Raptors shooting 55 percent.



The Raptors reserves had also just out-scored their Celtics counterparts, 30-15.



Aron Baynes caught a DeMar DeRozan elbow to the face early in the third, forcing the Celtics to go small with Morris his replacement.



…The Celtics had trouble against probably the best defensive team they have played since Golden State, and the struggle was obvious.

Masslive.com — Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics roasted by Toronto Raptors, but the East might finally be wide open

More and more, the two teams that clashed Tuesday in the Air Canada Centre, the Celtics and Toronto Raptors, appear to have a legitimate chance to reach the NBA Finals.



Did the showdown result in a scintillating, competitive basketball game? No. The Celtics were blasted from the start. By midway through the first quarter, head coach Brad Stevens said he knew his team didn’t show up with the right energy. Boston trailed by 21 points at halftime, fell behind by as many as 29, and did not even bother using its starting lineup in the fourth quarter. Things grew bleak enough that when one reporter asked whether Stevens could have tried something to revive his team, the coach deadpanned he should have turned to a three-center unit, with Guerschon Yabusele, Daniel Theis and Aron Baynes, earlier than garbage time.



…Kyrie Irving put the Boston loss on his shoulders, but didn’t deserve as much blame as he claimed for the team-wide disappointment. Al Horford credited the Raptors defensive pressure for taking him out of his normal rhythm. Stevens thought his team “missed the boat big time” on defending Kyle Lowry. Everybody in the Celtics locker room agreed on two things:



1. The Raptors played great.



2. Boston did not.

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