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BOSTON – The Boston Celtics put on an offensive clinic Saturday night at TD Garden, taking down the Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors, 110-99, behind the hot, sharpshooting hand of Aron Baynes.
Yes, you read that correctly – the hot, sharpshooting hand of Aron Baynes.
Boston’s 6-foot-10 center isn’t known for his perimeter game, but he came out of the gate firing away against Toronto, catalyzing the Celtics’ 33-point first-quarter barrage that set the tone for the remainder of the game.
Baynes knocked down five jump shots – all from 14 feet-out – during the first quarter alone. Surprisingly, two of those makes came from long distance, where he had previously shot just 1-of-19 over the course of his six-year NBA career.
“It’s something I’ve been working on,” Baynes said of trying to extend his shooting range. “I’m not going to rush and say it’s going to be what I’m going to fall back to or anything, but it’s always nice to have as an option.”
Boston relied on that option early on, as Baynes scored 12 of its first 21 points. He started off by shooting from the 14- to 18-foot range, before eventually making his way out beyond the 3-point arc. From there, he connected on consecutive attempts over a 1:04 span to help the C’s bounce back from an early five-point deficit.
The pair of 3-pointers sent the TD Garden crowd into a frenzy, while simultaneously triggering a bit of nostalgia for Baynes. The 31-year-old center could vividly recall the one and only other 3-pointer of his career, which just so happened to have occurred in the very same arena.
That particular triple transpired on Nov. 30, 2014, when Baynes was visiting Boston as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
“I don’t think that shot was as pretty though,” Baynes reminisced with a chuckle. “I think that was a bit further out and there was a bit of backboard involved in that one.”
These two 3-pointers, on the other hand, were nothing but net. And they did more than just put points on the board for the Celtics; they forced Toronto to change the way it was defending Boston, because now it had to account for Baynes’ sudden sharpshooting surge.
“The best thing about that was the next play (after the second 3-pointer) I knew they were going to close out. And then [Jaylen Brown] got a wide-open dunk,” said Baynes, who dished the assist to Brown while camping out beyond the arc. “So, it was one of those things where I was trying to make the right play every time.”
Baynes wouldn’t have been in the position to make such plays had he not been working diligently to improve his perimeter game. The Australian big man has been trying to adapt to the evolving NBA game, just like teammate and fellow big man Al Horford has done in recent years, by adding the 3-ball to his repertoire.
“That’s one thing that I try to work on every single day,” said Baynes. “It’s not what I put the most effort into, but it’s one of those things that you’re always trying to add to your game and get better in some regard. So, offensively I think that’s something where I’m just working on my shot, getting more consistent, and finding my feet and rhythm.”
Baynes hadn’t showcased that added long-range ability prior to Saturday’s contest, but he says he’s trying to step up his game in all areas now that the Celtics are in the midst of the final stretch of the regular season.
“It’s coming into crunch time, so every time we step out there we’ve got to make more of every possession,” said Baynes. “It’s one of those things of valuing every offensive possession that bit more, and hopefully I’m taking a few steps in the right direction.”
Baynes took one giant leap in the right direction Saturday night, as his hot sharpshooting hand helped kick-start a critical win that ultimately enabled the Celtics to pull within two games of the first-place Raptors.