Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis drops NSFW response to brutal Raptors loss
When the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors clashed just ahead of 2025, the C’s handed their Atlantic Division opponents their biggest defeat in team history.
Toronto appeared to remember that 54-point beatdown, as the rebuilding Raps came to play on Wednesday night and stunned the Green Team, 110-97.
Vegas listed the Celtics as double-digit favorites on the road, although they never had more than a seven-point advantage. In reality, the Raptors mostly dominated the affair until dominating the fourth quarter.
Boston scored only 15 points despite shooting 30% from the field in the final period. Meanwhile, the Raptors shot 40% from the floor and snatched seven offensive rebounds in the final 12 minutes, which helped lengthen possessions and kill any hope of a comeback for the C’s.
To make things worse for Boston, Toronto shot an amazing 54.5% overall in the second half and found open opportunities all night.
Following the disheartening setback, Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis had no difficulty saying he wasn’t happy of his team’s performance, according Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.
“Tonight feels like s**t right now, and we played some bad basketball,” he remarked.
Porzingis was one of the few Celtics that had a solid performance in Canada. The Latvian big man tallied 18 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in 34 minutes of play.
He converted on seven of his 11 field goals and was the only Celtic starter to shoot north of 50%. Backup point guard Payton Pritchard also hit seven of his 11 attempts, leading Boston with a team-high 20 points.
How terrible was the Celtics’ starting lineup against the Raptors?
Without Porzingis and Pritchard, the C’s hit 22 of their 69 shots (31.8%). Celtics talents Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 26 points on 31 attempts, with just four of those points coming in the important fourth quarter.
Fellow starter Derrick White also had a poor night, mustering six points in 21 minutes and registering a dismal plus-minus rating of minus-29. Despite several open chances, he went 1 for 7 from deep and has hit on one 3-point shot in his previous three games.
Like Porzingis, Tatum didn’t mince words when questioned about his sinking team, via John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal.
“We’re going through some s**t right now,” Tatum remarked. “It’s tough, but we said after the game we got to go through it together, as best we can, stick together.”
The Celtics are presently 2-3 in their previous five games and 28-12 overall. The defending champs aren’t panicking, but, they realize they can be better.
And they’ll have to improve if they want to stay pace with the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 34-5 and in first place in the Eastern Conference.
In addition, Boston’s future schedule isn’t getting any easier. The Celtics face back-to-back matches with teams they’ve previously lost to this season, as they play the Orlando Magic on Friday evening and the Atlanta Hawks precisely 24 hours later.
After those home games, the C’s travel on a four-game road trip to play the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks all in the space of five days. Tatum and company will definitely need to stick together to keep on pace until the much-needed All-Star break comes in February.
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