Boston Celtics: Boston Celtics: 3 keys to victory for short-handed C’s over Toronto

Boston Celtics key to victory No. 2) Limit the turnovers

In a game where the Boston Celtics could be missing a bulk of their star power, team efficiency and Marcus Smart are going to be key.

Since stepping into the point guard role and flourishing, the C’s have taken off under Marcus Smart’s leadership.

Monday night the C’s are going to need Smart’s passing and leadership to pull away with a W. Boston will need good passing and decision making out of the former first-round pick.

Toronto is a solid defensive team and a scrappy one under Nick Nurse. Their offensive depth and versatility allow them to move the rock and have a number of players score in double figures each night.

With such a solid all-around team, the Raptors force turnovers and make it tough on opponents to move the ball. The lineups Ime Udoka uses on Monday will be interesting in terms of ball movement. With essentially all guards healthy for Boston, the ball movement and transition offense may not suffer as much as you may expect.

Smart and Jaylen Brown will need to fight through this and help facilitate the offense, especially if JT is a no-go.