The Celtics shooters go cold and fall to the Raptors in the preseason finale

However, the wheels came off in the last 12 seconds. Davison committed a serious reach-in foul on Raptors guard DJ Carton, who made both free throws to give the Raptors the lead. On the final play, Walsh drove to the basket again, where he couldn't quite beat the Raptors' 7-footer Branden Carlson and the Celtics were (finally) defeated.

Davison played a total of 5:11 at the end of the fourth quarter and scored 12 points. He also recorded a block and a steal.

2. The Celtics started the game ice cold – 2 of 12 in the first quarter and 9 of 23 overall, and trailed by 19 after the first 12 minutes. They then outscored the Raptors by 20 points in the second quarter and shot 8 of 15 from deep to give them a one-point lead at the break. Then they cooled off again, scoring 8-28 from behind the arc in the second half.

Even the Celtics aren't immune to the occasional bad shot, but Tuesday's game showed us that they can stay competitive even when the 3-pointers aren't falling.

3. Al Horford returned to the stage for the first time since confetti fell from the TD Garden rafters in June, and he did very little. He went 1-6 from the field, 0-4 from three games, and a stunning -29 in penalty area scoring (which was largely due to him playing).

Interestingly, Horford started the game alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard (who started in place of the absent Jrue Holiday). There's been a lot of talk about Luke Kornet's potential to be a starter until Kristaps Porzingis returns (and perhaps notable was that Kornet was 5-for-5 with 10 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes), but with Horford available again was, the Celtics started him.

There are plenty of reasons to start Kornet (he's good in the starting lineup, he's playing his role, that could help the Celtics keep Horford's minutes down, etc.), but the final starting verdict in Porzingis' absence might just boil down to that fact , that Horford is also (obviously) very good in the starting lineup, and he's more than deserving of that role if he wants it.

4. Lonnie Walker didn't play in the Finals, which could end the debate over whether the Celtics will sign him to a guaranteed contract.

Walker is, of course, overqualified for the role the Celtics would offer him if he joined their roster full-time, which is what makes his situation so embarrassing. Assuming he moves to the G-League for the time being, he would be completely overqualified for that role too.

But it also probably makes little sense to bring Walker on board and add an eight-figure sum to a luxury tax bill that threatens to topple a dynasty as early as next season, just for a player who would land somewhere between 10 and 12 on the depth chart .

5. Jordan Walsh finished 2-6 from the floor but was very disruptive as a defender, and his two baskets were the aforementioned clutch layup and another good-looking 3-pointer.

Walsh was also part of the Celtics' first reserve group. He came on for Pritchard alongside Xavier Tillman with 6:50 left in the first quarter.

Of course, that was partly because Sam Hauser and Jrue Holiday weren't playing; Horford, Pritchard and Hauser would be the first substitutes on a normal evening. But it still seemed notable that Walsh was the next man up as the Celtics began to delve into their depth chart. He may have received a significant promotion in the last year.

6. Jaylen Brown had a great preseason, but Tuesday's game wasn't a highlight. He finished 6-for-15 from the floor and 0-for-5 from deep, with three ugly turnovers.

He again operated frequently outside the post, suggesting that playing outside the post is a clear focus for Brown as the regular season approaches.

7. Tatum attempted 13 3-pointers on Tuesday, the first truly high-volume test run of his new and improved shooting form. It's unclear whether the volume was intentional or simply a result of Tatum taking what the defense gave him, but he shot 5 for 13 (an acceptable 38.5 percent). The quicker release helped him attract some controversial looks, and he managed several of them.