Raptors bench nearly pull a comeback

"It was Battle and Hepburn's first time on the court all gain and boy, did they impress in limited minutes, even if it took them a while to get going. The Raptors' aggressive pressure-heavy, switch-heavy defence is who they are, but, at times, gambling left them exposed to open shots. Battle reacted to an open Anferee Simons a little too late, who cashed a triple to make it 102-94 with less than three minutes left."

"Mogbo got beat off the dribble by Xavier Tillman, who got downhill after a get action initiated by Raptor killer Payton Pritchard (though he wasn't today). That marked a 12-0 run by the Celtics. After some helter skelter basketball - Mogbo and Chucky Hepburn trapped Simon in the backcourt and Shead got the steal. But Baylor Scheierman anticipates the pass to Mogbo and picks it off only to lose it himself - 3s from Shead, Hepburn, and Battle nearly saved the day."

"Shead who has proved himself a worthy catch-and-shoot three-point shooter hit one in transition. Another late-game Celtic turnover got flipped into a Hepburn triple. It was looking like another late-game thriller we've become accustomed to watching in pre-season. Battle's two 3s, especially with a deep one off an out-of-bounds play with nine seconds left, tied the game, but Tillman's Poeltl-like push shot dashed the hopes of another comeback over the Celtics."

A Jamison Battle - Ja'Kobe Walter - Jonathan Mogbo - Jamal Shead - Chucky Hepburn bench lineup received minutes with the Raptors up two late in a pre-season tilt. Battle and Hepburn made strong first impressions in limited action after slow starts, while the team's pressure-heavy, switch-heavy defense occasionally gambled and allowed open looks. Defensive lapses led to open threes and a 12-0 Celtics run after Mogbo was beaten off the dribble. A late flurry of triples from Shead, Hepburn, and Battle tied the game, but Xavier Tillman's Poeltl-like push shot produced the decisive basket. A Quickley-Barrett-Ingram-Barnes-Poeltl starting lineup also saw minutes, with Quickley's speed drawing fouls and points at the line.

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