The Boston Celtics also win game 2 of the playoff series against the Toronto Raptors. Marcus Smart amazes in 184 seconds, Daniel Theis shines defensively.
The defending champion is threatened with the end of the NBA playoffs.
The Toronto Raptors also lost in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Boston Celtics around national player Daniel Theis with 99:102.
In the best-of-seven series, the Raptors are already under a lot of pressure – and in the NBA Bubble at Disney World in Orlando, the Canadians cannot hope for a push from their fans.
Once again, star player Jayson Tatum played a decisive role in the victory, setting a new personal play-off best with 34 points.
Smart catches fire in the final quarter
But the secret hero in the match was the defensive strong Marcus Smart, who suddenly shone from a distance in the final quarter.
After only three points after three quarters, he suddenly caught fire in the last quarter and threw five threes in just 184 seconds.
The Celtics started the final quarter with an eight-point deficit, but suddenly took a narrow lead.
Theis celebrates small block party
Theis held back offensively with three points in 30 minutes of action, but grabbed nine rebounds and came up with three strong blocks.
On the Raptor side, five players scored between 16 and 20 points, but neither playmaker Kyle Lowry (16 points in 16 attempts from the field) nor any of his teammates made their mark in the final phase of the game.
Game 3 takes place in the night from Thursday to Friday.