What to Know
- Check out the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast.
- The C’s shook off a rough first half to come back and beat the Raptors, 98-83.
- Boston’s now won five straight games and swept the four-game road trip.
- Jayson Tatum had game-highs in points (24) and assists (8).
- Neemias Queta had 13 rebounds, 11 points, 3 assists and 3 blocks.
For the second time in a week and a half, the Celtics faced back-to-back road games. For the first half in Toronto, they looked like they were feeling the effects of the travel.
But the C’s steadily climbed out of a 22-point hole and executed down the stretch, ultimately pulling off a 98-93 victory.
The Raptors started the game shooting 10-for-18 (56 percent) from three in the first quarter but cooled off significantly, going 6-for-25 from deep over the final three quarters.
Jayson Tatum scored 24 points — 10 of them at the free-throw line — with 8 assists and 7 rebounds, Derrick White scored 19, Payton Pritchard scored 14 off the bench, and Neemias Queta filled up the stat sheet with 11 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and a steal.
Check out the live blog below for details on all that happened as the Celtics improved to 10-2 on the season.
The Celtics have been on the road since taking on the Hornets in Charlotte last Friday, and they played an emotionally charged game in Philly on Monday night. Getting in to the team hotel after 3 a.m. on Tuesday and having to play the Raptors proved to be quite the challenge.
And though it wasn’t pretty, the Celtics pulled off the 98-93 win to improve to 4-0 on the road trip.
Kayla Burton, Chris Forsberg, Eddie House, Drew Carter and Brian Scalabrine all weigh in on the game, and Jayson Tatum talks to Abby Chin on his way off the floor, in the Instant Reaction below.
Neemias Queta did a bit of everything against the Raptors. He scored 11 points, pulled down 13 rebounds, made three assists, blocked three shots and had a steal in his 31 minutes on the floor, finishing a team-best plus-27.
After the win, he had lots of praise for his teammates’ hustle plays:
Considering they got to their hotel in Toronto after 3 a.m. following their win in Philadelphia, the Celtics had every excuse for a no-show against the Raptors on Wednesday. The first half might have reflected that.
But the Celtics clawed back and came away with a five-point victory. Derrick White explained why.
“Just the DNA and when we put that Celtics uniform on, it’s go out there and win,” he said. “So every person that came in there, even if we might not have had it at the beginning of the game, just found a way to find something and give us everything they got.”
Derrick White scored 19 points, dished out seven assists and blocked four shots in 38 minutes against the Raptors. Abby Chin asked Jayson Tatum what White’s contributions meant to the team.
“D-White do a little bit of everything,” Tatum said. “One of the most complete players in this league and somebody I’m just glad that to have him on our team.”
Final, 98-93: Sam Hauser hit his free throws, Queta came up with another block, and the Celtics walk away with a 5-point victory.
This one wasn’t easy, despite Toronto being shorthanded. But the Celtics executed in clutch time, finishing the game on a 15-4 run and outscoring Toronto 8-0 in the final minute.
That’s a four-win road trip and a five-game winning streak for the Celtics, who now get some well-deserved rest before hosting the Mavericks on Sunday.
