TORONTO — RJ Barrett delivered an impressive performance with 22 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Toronto Raptors to a 110-97 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. This win marked a significant achievement for the Raptors, as they ended a 10-game losing streak against their rivals from Boston.
Jakob Poeltl contributed strongly with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Scottie Barnes added 18 points to the team’s effort. Following a victory over the Golden State Warriors earlier in the week, the Raptors have now managed to win back-to-back games for the third time this season.
On the opposing side, the Celtics saw Peyton Pritchard score 20 points, with Kristaps Porzingis contributing 18 points and Jayson Tatum adding another 16. However, Boston struggled with their three-point shooting, finishing the game with a 16 for 46 record from beyond the arc.
This defeat was particularly notable as it was Boston’s first loss to Toronto since March 28, 2022. Notably, during that previous meeting, Jaylen Brown, Tatum, and Al Horford were among the four regular players absent from the Celtics’ lineup.
This latest win for the Raptors marked just their third victory in 19 games and was a stark contrast to their last encounter with the Celtics, where they suffered a franchise-record loss of 54 points, finishing 125-71 on December 31 in Boston.
In terms of injuries, Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley sat out for the second consecutive game due to a left hip issue.
Looking at the overall performance, the Celtics have now lost three of their last five games, posting a record of 7-7 since a strong start of 21-5 this season. On the Raptors side, guard Ochai Agbaji required three stitches to close a cut on his right hand after a second-quarter injury and did not return to the game.
A crucial moment in the match came from Jamal Shead, whose three-pointer with 7:36 remaining completed a 12-4 run by the Raptors at the start of the fourth quarter, giving Toronto their largest lead of the game at 100-86.
From a statistical viewpoint, while Porzingis (4 for 5) and Pritchard (4 for 8) performed well from long range, the rest of the Celtics were significantly less effective, managing only 8 for 33 combined from three-point territory.
Both teams are set to return to action on Friday; Boston will take on Orlando while Toronto heads to Milwaukee.
