Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics Game 7: Live score, updates, news, stats and highlights

Author Photo
Kyle Irving
and others
• 10 min read
brown-lowry-ftr.jpg

What a series it was.

The Boston Celtics closed out the Toronto Raptors in a back-and-forth Game 7 behind a monster performance from Jayson Tatum and some great team defence to force their opponent into 18 turnovers. They'll advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to take on the Miami Heat.

If you missed any of the action we had you covered with live updates, highlights and more from the series finale.

Final: Boston Celtics 92, Toronto Raptors 87

11:51 p.m. –  In what was a thrilling Game 7, the Celtics closed out the Raptors to win 92-87.

Jayson Tatum was absolutely incredible going for 29 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block to lead Boston. Jaylen Brown helped his wingman, going for 21 points, eight rebounds and four steals. As a team, the Celtics came away with 12 steals to play a part in forcing 18 Raptors turnovers.

For the Raptors, Fred VanVleet had a strong performance of 20 points and six assists while Serge Ibaka's 14 points and eight rebounds gave the team some energy off the bench. Kyle Lowry fouled out late in the fourth quarter, closing the game with just 16 points shooting 5-for-15 from the field and 1-for-6 from 3.


11:47 p.m. –  After Grant Williams missed both free throws, the rookie steps up with a huge defensive possession on Fred VanVleet's game-tying 3-point attempt that fell off the mark. Boston grabbed the rebound, followed by a pair of free throws from Kemba Walker to give the Celtics a 92-87 lead with eight seconds to go. Timeout Toronto.

11:45 p.m. –  Grant Williams misses BOTH free throws, but Jayson Tatum swoops in to grab the rebound and gets fouled. He made one of two to give the Celtics a three-point lead with 30 seconds left. 

11:41 p.m. –  Celtics rookie Grant Williams – who is in for fouled out starting centre Daniel Theis – is going to the free throw line with Boston leading 89-87 with 34 seconds remaining. Kyle Lowry committed the foul, his sixth of the game to foul out of the ball game.

11:40 p.m. –  A 7-1 run by the Raptors has them within two points at 89-87 with just over a minute to go. Kyle Lowry attacked the rim on back-to-back plays – one for a layup and the other getting fouled for a pair of free throws – to give Toronto some life.

11:34 p.m. –  Kyle Lowry fouled Marcus Smart on jumpshot attempt, picking up his fifth foul with 3:26 to play in the game.

11:32 p.m. –  A tough stretch for Pascal Siakam, who committed the foul on Kemba Walker in between a pair of turnovers, has helped the Celtics get out to an 88-80 lead with under five minutes to play. Jayson Tatum is attacking the rim relentlessly to keep the pressure on the Raptors defence.

11:24 p.m. –  Kemba Walker gets the And-1 midrange jumper to fall to give the Celtics an 85-78 lead with exactly six minutes remaining in the game. He's up to 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals on the game, but is still shooting just 5-for-15 from the field and 1-for-6 from 3.


11:19 p.m. –  Fred VanVleet is doing everything he can to keep the Raptors season alive. Another 3-pointer from Steady Freddy brings Toronto within five at 81-76 with under eight minutes to go.


11:14 p.m. –  The Celtics open the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run capped off by a Jaylen Brown transition dunk, but Boston's star wing appears to be injured on the play. The Celtics lead 81-73 with 9:43 remaining.

UPDATE: He has gotten up and stayed in the game.


End of third quarter: Celtics 72, Raptors 71

11:08 p.m. –  Just like the rest of the series, these teams continue to trade shots. Jayson Tatum knocks down another 3-pointer but Norman Powell responds immediately with a 3 of his own to bring us to a one-point Boston lead heading into the fourth quarter. Buckle up.


10:57 p.m. –  Kyle Lowry earned an And-1 and had a chance to tie the game but missed the free throw. A few possessions later, Marcus Smart converted an acrobatic And-1 to keep the Celtics in the lead at 66-63 with 2:33 to play in the third.

Lowry is still trying to find his groove, shooting 3-for-11 from the field and 1-for-4 from 3-point range for just eight points.

10:46 p.m. –  Jayson Tatum has buried a pair of beautiful step-back 3s to start the second half, bumping his scoring total up to 17 points on the night. The Celtics lead 60-53 with seven minutes remaining in the quarter.

Halftime: Celtics 50, Raptors 46

10:23 p.m. –  Turnovers were the story of the second quarter. The Raptors' seven giveaways in the frame turned into 13 points for the Celtics to let them back into the game.

Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka have 12 points apiece to pace Toronto's offence, but Kyle Lowry's three points shooting 1-for-6 from the field is holding the Raptors back. For Boston, Jaylen Brown leads the way with 15 points, Marcus Smart has chipped in 12 points and Jayson Tatum is stuffing the stat sheet with 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block.

Kemba Walker, however, has been quiet again with four points shooting 2-for-6 from the field and 0-for-3 from 3.


Halftime team stats:

raptors-celtics-game-7-halftime-stats

10:17 p.m. –  Another Raptors turnover results in a Marcus Smart coast-to-coast layup to give the Celtics the lead, 41-40, with just over three minutes to go in the game. Toronto has turned the ball over on six of their last eight possessions.


10:12 p.m. –  Toronto has turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions, allowing Boston to get back into the game. The Raptors still lead 40-37 with 4:17 left in the half but their eight turnovers has resulted in 10 points for the Celtics the other way.


10:02 p.m. –  The Raptors momentum has carried over from the end of the first. An 8-3 run has Toronto leading 35-29 four minutes into the second frame. Kyle Lowry has checked back in and made things happen right away, finding Serge Ibaka for with a sweet dish.


End of first quarter: Raptors 27, Celtics 26

9:51 p.m. –  The Raptors survived the Celtics early run and came back with one of their own. Toronto leads by one after the first quarter thanks to Fred VanVleet's eight points on a pair of 3-pointers. Jayson Tatum is off to a hot start with nine points and seven rebounds for Boston, but Kemba Walker still hasn't found his touch with zero points in the frame.


9:47 p.m. –  Matt Thomas and Serge Ibaka make back-to-back 3s to extend the Raptors run to 15-2. Toronto has taken the lead at 22-21.

9:41 p.m. –  The Raptors respond with a 9-2 run of their own, headlined by this Norman Powell transition dunk immediately after checking into the game. Head coach Brad Stevens takes a timeout with his team leading 21-16 with 2:45 to go in the first.


9:39 p.m. – The Celtics would go on to convert three 3-pointers in a row, but Fred VanVleet's first 3 of the game puts an end to the Celtics run. Boston leads 19-10 with just over four mintues to play in the quarter.

9:33 p.m. –  At the first stoppage in play, the Celtics lead 11-7 after Jayson Tatum gets his team's first 3-pointer of the game to fall. In a series where 3-point shooting has dictated the result, Boston has started the game 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.


9:28 p.m. –  Kyle Lowry gets the first bucket of the game to go with a 3-pointer! And we're underway.


Pregame

8:38 p.m. –  Same starters for the Celtics, too: Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Daniel Theis.


8:36 p.m. –  Same starters as usual for the Raptors: Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol.


7:00 p.m. –  A little pregame Raptors hype video to get you fired up for Game 7.


7:00 p.m. – And for Celtics fans who are trying to get amped up, we got you, too.


Author(s)
Kyle Irving Photo
Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.