In their second straight down-to-the-wire game, the Boston Celtics inched past the Toronto Raptors, 91-87.
A slew of bench players contributed down the stretch to help Boston overcome a stubborn group of Raptors. Stephane Lasme threw down a highlight-worthy dunk with 2:50 remaining, putting Boston up 85-84. Nate Robinson added a three-pointer (with the help of a kind bounce off the rim) with 2:23 to play, making it 88-84, Boston. Von Wafer added three free throws over the final 1:23 and Delonte West rejected a Jarrett Jack jump shot with 45 ticks left, securing the victory for the Celtics, who move to 3-0 in preseason action.
Other Thoughts
- The 15th roster spot still appears to be up for grabs, and it's worth noting that Lasme and Wafer found the court tonight while Mario West remained on the bench.
- Lasme (two points, one rebound, one assist) played the final 9:34 of the fourth quarter (the first of the 15th spot hopefuls to check in), while Wafer (three points) played the final 4:11.
- The bench closed out the game for a second straight time, allowing the likes of West, Robinson, and Semih Erden to play out some late game scenarios with each other.
- Shaquille O'Neal started at center once again, but Jermaine O'Neal saw his first action off the bench, playing eight minutes while grabbing two rebounds and blocking three shots. Two of his more impressive blocks came against Amir Johnson late in the first quarter. On both occasions he rotated over to provide help defense and swatted away Johnson's shot attempts emphatically.
- Shaq looked crisp once again as he registered perhaps his most productive game of the preseason: 11 points (4-6 shooting), five rebounds, and two blocks. He worked well with Rajon Rondo, who really emphasized the lob pass tonight. Shaq converted two lob passes from Rondo, and another from Ray Allen. The second of Rondo's was a high arching underhand pass that Shaq caught in mid-air and threw down, proving he still has some hops in those old legs of his.