Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a commanding 125-71 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday at TD Garden.
The win extended Boston’s dominance in their all-time series with Toronto to 10 consecutive games, while the Raptors’ struggles continued with an 11-game losing streak. Toronto committed 21 turnovers and hasn’t defeated Boston since the 2021-22 season.
Key Performances:
- Celtics: Payton Pritchard contributed 19 points off the bench, hitting 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. Derrick White (16 points), Jrue Holiday (14), Jaylen Brown (12), Sam Hauser (12), and Jordan Walsh (10) also scored in double digits. Boston shot an impressive 51.2% from three-point range (22 of 43).
- Raptors: Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 16 points and 13 rebounds but struggled from deep, shooting 1 of 8 from three. Davion Mitchell added nine points, and Jakob Poeltl had seven points and 13 rebounds.
The Celtics overwhelmed Toronto in the second half, scoring 80 points—more than Toronto’s total game output of 71, the lowest score by any team in an NBA game this season.
Game Highlights:
- Boston surged with a 24-3 run in the third quarter, extending their lead to 87-51. They outscored Toronto 45-18 in the quarter, making 10 of 12 three-point attempts.
- Toronto trailed 45-35 at halftime but fell apart in the second half.
- The Celtics starters, none of whom played more than 29 minutes, entered the game after losing three of their previous four contests.
Missing Players:
- Raptors: R.J. Barrett (illness) and Gradey Dick (hamstring) were sidelined.
- Celtics: Kristaps Porziņģis, Boston’s third-leading scorer, missed his third consecutive game with an ankle injury.
Boston improved to 2-0 against Toronto this season.