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The road has not been kind to these Raptors, a hard-working and depleted group that remains minus its two best players in Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.
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Down but clearly not out, the Raptors went toe to toe and shot to shot at the TD Garden, home of the Boston Celtics whose franchise cache has a way of tipping the scales when it comes to officiating.
A slow start by the visitors would quickly be erased, setting the stage for a competitive and entertaining game, which have become Toronto’s hallmarks this early in the season.
The game was so good it required overtime.
The game was so tight it would be decided on the very last play, a three-point dagger by Jayson Tatum on a deep three as the Celtics survived, 126-123.
No shame in how the Raptors defended the final possession, no shame in losing.
A favourable call here, a missed basket there and the outcome could have easily been different.
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Saturday night marked Toronto’s eighth road tip of the season following seven consecutive defeats, losses that came down to the final shot, outcomes that were decided late with the occasional blowout.
Road loss No. 8 was by far the most painful.
Given the stage and quality of the opposition, the Raptors summoned all they had by playing the right way.
And yet it wasn’t good enough on a night the oddsmakers had the Raptors as much as 17-point underdogs.
One of Toronto’s best, and there were a handful, was Jakob Poeltl, who reached the 30-point total in posting a career high as he continues to emerge as a legitimate post presence.
When he’s getting paint touches, it seems good things happen.
He picked up his dribble late in regulation and did not get the call when he clearly was fouled by Jayson Tatum.
RJ Barrett did a masterful job of distributing the basketball.
At the same time, he has to make his free throws on a night he posted a triple-double, a career-first.
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