The Boston Celtics secured their sixth straight win, defeating the Toronto Raptors 111-101 on Tuesday night.
Jaylen Brown led the way with 24 points, while Derrick White added 22, hitting six three-pointers. Payton Pritchard contributed 20 points off the bench, and Jayson Tatum recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists.
Boston improved to 42-16, maintaining its position as the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto (18-40) struggled from beyond the arc, making just 5-of-32 three-point attempts.
RJ Barrett finished with 22 points, and Scottie Barnes added 21 in the Raptors’ seventh loss in their last nine games.
Gradey Dick and Immanuel Quickley combined for 22 points but couldn’t provide enough offense to overcome Boston.
White’s efficiency from deep proved to be a key difference, as he outshot the entire Raptors team from three-point range.
Toronto missed its first 11 three-point attempts on Tuesday. Ochai Agbaji finally broke the drought early in the second quarter, but the Raptors never found a consistent rhythm.
Boston played without Kristaps Porzingis, who was ruled out before tip-off due to an illness. Torrey Craig made his first start for the Celtics in Porzingis’ absence, while Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet were also unavailable.
Despite the short-handed lineup, Boston built an early lead, outscoring Toronto 35-24 in the first quarter. The Raptors kept the game within reach, cutting a 17-point deficit down to seven in the fourth quarter.
Tatum’s passing was on full display, as he set a new career-high for assists in a single half with nine in the first two quarters.
