Jaylen Brown scored 30 points and Derrick White added 27, including 14 in the first quarter, as the Boston Celtics held off a furious Toronto comeback to win 121-113 on Sunday.
Payton Pritchard contributed 15 points, Anfernee Simons added 12, and Neemias Queta recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, helping Boston secure its fifth straight win and seventh in eight games.
The Celtics built a commanding 23-point lead in the second half, leading 87-64 after a Pritchard 3-pointer early in the third quarter. Toronto rallied, outscoring Boston 34-10 over a 10-minute stretch, taking its first lead on a Jamal Shead layup with 10:39 remaining.
Boston regained control with back-to-back 3-pointers by White and Pritchard, turning a three-point deficit into a three-point lead with 7:15 left, and the Celtics did not trail again. Boston made 20 of 47 3-pointers, continuing its long-range shooting dominance after hitting a season-high 24 triples in Friday’s win over the Lakers. The Celtics also outscored Toronto 17-4 in second-chance points.
Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 30 points, while Scottie Barnes had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Sandro Mamukelashvili added 14 points, Ochai Agbaji and Immanuel Quickley each had 11, and Jakob Poeltl and AJ Lawson contributed 10 apiece. Toronto dropped its third straight home game, marking its first back-to-back losses at home this season and five losses in six games heading into Tuesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal against New York.
The Celtics will visit Milwaukee on Thursday, while the Raptors return home to face the Knicks in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.
