Jaylen Brown led the way with 24 points, while Derrick White added 22 as the Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to six games, defeating the Toronto Raptors 111-101 on Tuesday night.
Payton Pritchard chipped in 20 points, and Jayson Tatum recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists, helping Boston improve to 24-6 on the road this season.
RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 22 points, while Scottie Barnes contributed 21. Gradey Dick scored 12 points, and Immanuel Quickley finished with 10, but Toronto dropped its seventh game in the last nine.
White was particularly effective from beyond the arc, making six of his 11 three-point attempts—more than the entire Raptors team combined. Toronto struggled from long range, finishing just 5-for-32, marking their lowest three-point output of the season.
The Raptors, who made all eight of their three-point attempts in the fourth quarter of their previous win against Phoenix, started cold from deep on Tuesday. They missed their first 11 attempts before Ochai Agbaji finally connected with 9:17 left in the second quarter.
Takeaways
Celtics: Kristaps Porzingis was ruled out just before tipoff due to a non-COVID illness, leading to Torrey Craig’s first start for Boston. The Celtics were also without Jrue Holiday (rest), Al Horford (left big toe), and Luke Kornet (personal).
Raptors: Toronto snapped a 10-game losing streak against Boston in their last meeting on January 15 but couldn’t build on that success, falling to the Atlantic Division leaders again.
Key Moment
Toronto cut a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit down to just seven at 102-95 following a basket by Jamal Shead with 4:18 remaining. However, Tatum responded by scoring with 2:42 left and then stole the ball from Dick on the next possession. White then drilled his sixth three-pointer of the game, restoring Boston’s double-digit lead and sealing the victory.
Key Stat
Tatum dished out nine assists in the first half, setting a new career-high for most assists in a single half.
Up Next
Both teams will be on the road on Wednesday night, with the Celtics facing the Detroit Pistons and the Raptors visiting the Indiana Pacers.
