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BOSTON -- For most of the first half on Friday, Kemba Walker’s game had a “here we go again” feeling about it.
As bad as his opening night performance was - and it was bad - Walker seemed on track for another disastrous performance in his debut as a Celtic at the TD Garden.
But then the fourth quarter rolled around and Walker started doing Kemba Walker-type things.
Drives to the basket. Free throws. 3-pointers.
Walker (22 points, six rebounds) reached into his bag of offensive tricks and the Celtics needed it - badly.
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His scoring down the stretch was indeed one of the keys in Boston rallying for a 112-106 victory over the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors in the Celtics' home opener.
"It was everything I imagined," Walker told NBC Sports Boston immediately after the game. "These fans are incredible. So much energy in the building...I just needed to calm down, but man, I just have to -- I can't say enough about my teammates, my coaching staff. They just kept me up. They kept my confidence up, kept telling me to be myself. Keep shooting the ball. I really appreciate those guys for sure."
Boston (1-1) has now extended its home winning streak over Toronto to six.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the C's by each scoring a team-high 25 points.
The Raptors were led by Pascal Siakam’s game-high 33 points. Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry had a strong game as well, with 29 points.
Still, this game was all about Walker down the stretch, who also did a solid job defensively by contesting shots and drawing offensive fouls.
Here are three other takeaways from Boston’s first win of the season:
Finish at the rim: Boston was at its best on Friday when attacking the rim which, more times than not, worked out for them. The Celtics finished with 54 points in the paint compared to 36 for the Raptors. Of course, Toronto’s 3-point barrage was a factor. But Boston forced Toronto to rely on the 3-ball because of their ability to cut off and contest dribble penetration. The Knicks have guards who love to attack and drive the ball. Limiting Toronto along those lines was a good tune-up for what the Celtics will be dealing with Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
Perimeter defense needs work: The Celtics gave the Raptors way too many lightly contested or uncontested looks at the rim. And to the Raptors credit, they made the Celtics pay often as they connected on 50 percent (18-for-36) of their 3-pointers taken. The Knicks don’t have as many long-range shooters as Toronto, but Boston has to do a better job of not allowing teams to get comfortable from behind the 3-point arc
Tatum - lotsa points, and shots taken: Celtics fans have to love the idea that Tatum is looking for his shot more now. And two games into the season, he has delivered a pair of strong scoring performances. But he hasn’t been efficient in getting his points. You love the 25 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists. But the 25 points came on 8-for-22 shooting from the field. Finding a better balance between scoring and being a more efficient scorer will be key for Tatum and the Celtics.
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