Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown Help Celtics Rout Raptors to Take 3-2 Series Lead

The Boston Celtics are back in control of their Eastern Conference second-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors.

Boston seized a 3-2 lead in the matchup with a 111-89 win in Monday's Game 5 at Walt Disney World Resort. Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker led the way in the victory and helped their team bounce back from two straight losses that gave Toronto the momentum.

A solid showing from Fred VanVleet was not enough for the Raptors, who will now have to win two in a row again to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight season.

Notable Player Stats

• Jaylen Brown, G, BOS: 27 PTS, 6 REB, 3 STL
• Jayson Tatum, F, BOS: 18 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST
• Kemba Walker, G, BOS: 21 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB
• Marcus Smart, G, BOS: 12 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST
• Fred VanVleet, G, TOR: 18 PTS, 5 AST, 3 STL
• Kyle Lowry, G, TOR: 10 PTS, 5 AST, 2 STL
• Pascal Siakam, F, TOR: 10 PTS, 4 REB

Abysmal 1st Half Sinks Raptors

Toronto had all the momentum entering the game following two straight wins and figured to come out of the gates accordingly.

So much for that.

The defending champions could not have started worse on the offensive end, scoring a mere 11 points in the first quarter and 35 points in the entire opening half. The TNT broadcast noted both numbers were playoff lows for any team this year, underscoring how truly ugly things were as Toronto shot 28.6 percent from the field and 17.6 percent from three.

Toronto struggled throughout its lineup, as VanVleet dealt with early foul trouble, Kyle Lowry couldn't find his touch and Pascal Siakam had trouble even finding openings with a mere three field-goal attempts at intermission.

It wasn't all just Raptors struggles, as Boston's defense deserves plenty of credit. It prevented the easy transition opportunities Toronto thrives on and set the tone by challenging outside shooters and swarming to cut off penetration.

The Raptors looked better for stretches in the second half, but it was too late at that point.

Jaylen Brown Returns to Form for Celtics

Boston failed to even reach triple digits for the first time all playoffs in the last game in large part because of Brown's poor shooting touch.

Brown was just 4-of-18 from the field and 2-of-11 from three-point range, although it was indicative of the team's overall struggles from deep. Toronto swarmed the Celtics on the three-point line, holding them to 20 percent from beyond the arc and keeping everyone but Tatum in check.

In fact, Tatum was the only Boston player to score more than 15 points in Game 4.

Brown made sure that would not be the case Monday, unleashing a monster slam over OG Anunoby in the first quarter and aggressively seeking out shots off the bounce and taking advantage of additional space from downtown.

Brown wasn't the only one, as Marcus Smart and Walker facilitated when not finding their own shots and Tatum mixed in a handful of his smooth drives while battling for boards. By the time Walker connected on a buzzer-beating floater to end the first half, the game was all but over.

Even Daniel Theis and Brad Wanamaker reached double figures in a balanced effort.

The Celtics will need players like Brown, Walker and Smart to provide critical offensive support for Tatum if they are going to win the championship, and they were up to the task in Game 5.

What's Next?

Game 6 of the series is Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET.