On March 29, Beijing time, the NBA regular season broke out! The Celtics, who have just finished first in the East, unexpectedly took a break in this campaign to double-probe Tatum and Brown. As a result, they lost 112-115 to the Raptors in overtime on the road, and their six-game winning streak came to an abrupt end. In this game, Raptors star Siakam frantically blasted down 40 points and 13 boards, and overtime helped the team complete the reversal. The Celtics lost, giving up the top spot in the East to 4th, and the Heat returned to first place in the East.
The Celtics had just broken the team's main center, Lowe, before the game, which caused the Greenshirts to suffer a blow. As a result, the Celtics let the double detectiveSaintum and Brown double-round rest, which was both unexpected and reasonable. On the one hand, it is to reduce the burden on the players, and the other reason is naturally the Nets.
Lacking two cores, the Green Army did not appear vulnerable. Leading 38-30 in the first quarter, halftime saw the Celtics trail by just one point at 58-59. In the second half, the two sides still played very fiercely. The Raptors tied the score with free throws at the last minute. In overtime, the Celtics led by four points at one point, but Anunoby scored four straight points on a three-pointer for Siakam. The Raptors then held on to the advantage and eventually won at home.
In the game that ended earlier, the Heat beat the Kings to end a four-game losing streak. As a result, the top of the Eastern Conference changed hands again, the Heat regained the first place, and the Celtics fell from first to fourth. With 6-8 games remaining, the battle for first place in the East remains elusive. There is only one win gap between the Heat, Philadelphia, Celtics and Bucks, and it's hard to say who will die.
Moreover, they need to consider whether the 8th team is the Nets, and if the Nets end up in 8th in the East, then no one wants the first place in the East. This game Celtics took a break from double probing, and it was clear that they did not want to win. Falling to third or fourth would be able to avoid the Nets altogether, and maybe that's what they want.