5 takeaways like Semi Ojeleye unleash comfortable Celtics victory over the Raptors

The Boston Celtics won a 120-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday with the strength of their 3-point shots and movement of the ball.

Five conclusions from a victory that the Celtics really needed to win.

The Celtics needed some good points.

Before Celtics fans can get it fixed, they should remember that Thursday’s game was not really a fair representation of Toronto – the Raptors had a strenuous stretch and entered the TD Garden on the second night from back to back, with OG Anunoby in the bank.

But the Celtics just clicked on Thursday. The starters were excellent. The stars (including Kemba Walker) all played like stars, even when they didn’t shoot well. The bank fell. The defense had some weight. After a violent trip across the West Coast with a series of difficult games approaching, the Celtics needed some good points, and Thursday’s game brought many of them.

Semi Ojeleye looked great as a starter.

Who was entrusted with an initial role, Ojeleye had one of his best games. He started with a layup, then made six of his eight 3-point attempts on the way to 24 points, and he feasted on the corners of the spacing created by the Boston slashers (whom we will reach).

Having a reliable 3-point shooter on the starting lineup seemed to make a big difference for the Celtics, who have been struggling to find a consistent starting lineup. A game won’t (and shouldn’t) hold Ojeleye in that role, but a performance like Thursday may be enough to get him another look. As always, the key to Ojeleye is to avoid getting cold when you miss your first 3 point attempt.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were facilitators.

As noted above, Ojeleye – as well as Payton Pritchard, who scored 20 points from 6-in-8 shots – benefited enormously from Boston scammers. Brown and Tatum were the killers. Brown finished with 10 assists, while Tatum made nine. The defense collapsed, and when it collapsed, the Boston stars were ready and willing to make the right move. While the pair finished a combined 8 of 27, they were crucial.

The passing mindset made all the difference. Boston has a lot of talent for attacking incompatibilities and punishing inferior defenders, but doing so for an entire game is a recipe for stagnant attack. When the ball pops, the baskets are much easier.

It’s a two-way street, of course: the Celtics’ stars need to move the ball and their role players need to make the kicks created for them by the stars. If this continues, the Celtics will be in much better shape.

Grant Williams is slowly expanding his game.

Williams has quietly done a little more of his attack in the past two weeks. The most notable, of course, was his shot – Williams hit 45.8 percent of his 3 points this season.

But it is expanding in other areas as well. On Thursday, Williams hit a pull-up of a dribble, a floater after a move of several dribbles, and launched a pass along the base line to an open pitcher in the corner for a 3-point basket.

Productive actors make a big difference. It remains to be seen whether players like Williams, Pritchard and Ojeleye can contribute consistently, but the ceiling goes up if they can.

Kemba Walker had a good night.

If Walker’s fights are a lesson every time they occur, it’s only fair to notice when he makes a good game. Walker finished with 21 points out of 5 out of 12 shots and buried a flurry of triples – 5 out of 7 behind the hoop.

The Raptors are a good match for Walker, with two good players for his defense. But, like Tatum and Brown, Walker benefited greatly from having consistent production around him.