Raptors eye consecutive wins when up-and-down Celtics visit
The Toronto Raptors have a rare chance to win two games in a row when they host the NBA champion Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
The Raptors ended a five-game losing streak with a 104-101 victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors on Monday night.
Reserve Chris Boucher scored 17 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter for the Raptors, who were returning from a three-game road trip.
"We needed that," said Scottie Barnes, who led Toronto with 23 points. "He won us the game."
Jakob Poeltl had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
It was the Raptors' second win in the past 18 games. They have won two games in a row twice this season -- Nov. 18 and 21 and Dec. 1 and 3.
The Celtics are enduring a 7-6 spell after squeezing out a 120-119 home victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
"We're just not playing our best basketball," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "When you're 7-6 over 13, it's not just one thing. And when the reference points are different -- you know, there's two great teams in the league that are having historic seasons -- they become the reference point of, 'Oh, you're not as good because you're not them.' They're great, great teams having historical years, and we're on our own path that we have to be able to work through. ...
"So this is the space that we're in. I love the fact that we're not happy. It's the best place to be in, and we'll figure it the hell out."
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 38 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on Sunday. New Orleans had a chance to win but missed the final shot of the game.
"Maybe you don't want to play your best basketball at the beginning of January," Tatum said. "We've been through this before. We've still got a lot of time left to get back to our identity. It's not supposed to be easy and we're getting everybody's best shot. New Orleans played really well. I don't think they played like that all the time. But it was a good test for us. That's just how it's going to be."
The Celtics have defeated the Raptors twice this season, both times in Boston. They won 126-123 in overtime on Nov. 16 and 125-71 on Dec. 31.
The Raptors came close in two recent games before breaking through against Golden State. They lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-126 on Jan. 9, and they faded late in the game after leading by one point early in the fourth quarter in a 123-114 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
Against the Warriors, the Raptors came back from nine points down in the fourth quarter and put the game away in the final minute.
"It helps for the spirit," said Boucher, who is averaging 10.7 points per game. "I think we've been working extremely hard to get (a win) and find ways to get better. We got a couple good games where we played three (good) quarters and did not get the win. So to get the win feels really good."
The Raptors played without Immanuel Quickley (left hip/groin strain) on Monday and will do so again Wednesday after the guard was deemed day-to-day moving forward. In just nine appearances this season, Quickley has averaged 16.2 points and 6.1 assists.
"He's been dealing with his left hip soreness a little bit," Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said earlier this week.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0:35 |  | +1 | RJ Barrett makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 50-53 |
| 0:35 |  | Jayson Tatum shooting foul (RJ Barrett draws the foul) | ||
| 0:54 | | +3 | Al Horford makes three point running jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 50-52 |
| 1:00 | | Ochai Agbaji turnover (lost ball) (Payton Pritchard steals) | ||
| 1:06 | | RJ Barrett defensive rebound | ||
| 1:08 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 1:31 | | +2 | RJ Barrett makes two point layup (Jakob Poeltl assists) | 47-52 |
| 1:49 | | Jakob Poeltl defensive rebound | ||
| 1:51 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:06 | | +2 | RJ Barrett makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Scottie Barnes assists) | 47-50 |
| 2:16 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point pullup jump shot (Kristaps Porzingis assists) | 47-48 |
| 2:37 | | RJ Barrett turnover (bad pass) (Jrue Holiday steals) | ||
| 2:47 | | Jrue Holiday turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 3:02 | | +2 | Davion Mitchell makes two point running finger roll layup | 44-48 |
| 3:05 | | RJ Barrett defensive rebound | ||
| 3:07 | | RJ Barrett blocks Jaylen Brown's two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 3:15 | | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 3:18 | | Scottie Barnes misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:23 | | Jakob Poeltl defensive rebound | ||
| 3:26 | | Al Horford misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:39 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 3:41 | | Al Horford blocks RJ Barrett's three point running jump shot | ||
| 3:43 | | Jakob Poeltl defensive rebound | ||
| 3:46 | | Jakob Poeltl blocks Jayson Tatum's two point driving layup | ||
| 3:58 | | +3 | Ochai Agbaji makes three point jump shot (RJ Barrett assists) | 44-46 |
| 4:14 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 4:15 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 4:17 | | RJ Barrett misses two point running reverse layup | ||
| 4:20 | | RJ Barrett defensive rebound | ||
| 4:22 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point putback layup | ||
| 4:26 | | Jaylen Brown offensive rebound | ||
| 4:26 | | Al Horford misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:28 | | Jrue Holiday offensive rebound | ||
| 4:32 | | Scottie Barnes blocks Jaylen Brown's two point driving layup | ||
| 4:39 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 4:41 | | Scottie Barnes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:48 | | RJ Barrett offensive rebound | ||
| 4:48 | | Gradey Dick misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:00 | | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 44-43 |
| 5:16 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 5:17 | | Scottie Barnes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:20 | | RJ Barrett offensive rebound | ||
| 5:22 | | Gradey Dick misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:35 | | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point driving floating jump shot (Al Horford assists) | 41-43 |
| 5:40 | | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 5:42 | | Kristaps Porzingis blocks Gradey Dick's two point cutting layup | ||
| 5:55 | | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point layup (Jaylen Brown assists) | 39-43 |
| 6:11 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:11 | | +2 | Gradey Dick makes two point running layup (RJ Barrett assists) | 37-43 |
| 6:15 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (lost ball) (RJ Barrett steals) | ||
| 6:31 | | +2 | RJ Barrett makes two point reverse layup (Gradey Dick assists) | 37-41 |
| 6:45 | | Raptors 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:45 | | Jrue Holiday personal foul (RJ Barrett draws the foul) | ||
| 7:00 | | +3 | Kristaps Porzingis makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 37-39 |
| 7:04 | | Kelly Olynyk personal foul (Al Horford draws the foul) | ||
| 7:14 | | +2 | Gradey Dick makes two point running pullup jump shot | 34-39 |
| 7:22 | | Chris Boucher defensive rebound | ||
| 7:24 | | Jrue Holiday misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:52 | | +3 | Kelly Olynyk makes three point jump shot (Davion Mitchell assists) | 34-37 |
| 7:54 | | Jaylen Brown personal foul (Loose ball) (Chris Boucher draws the foul) | ||
| 7:54 | | Raptors offensive rebound | ||
| 7:55 | | Jamison Battle misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:03 | | Jamison Battle defensive rebound | ||
| 8:05 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 8:28 | | +1 | Kelly Olynyk makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 34-34 |
| 8:28 | | +1 | Kelly Olynyk makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 34-33 |
| 8:28 | | Sam Hauser shooting foul (Kelly Olynyk draws the foul) | ||
| 8:45 | | Derrick White turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 9:03 | | +3 | Chris Boucher makes three point running jump shot (Jamison Battle assists) | 34-32 |
| 9:09 | | Bruce Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 9:11 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:23 | | +2 | Scottie Barnes makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 34-29 |
| 9:39 | | +2 | Payton Pritchard makes two point driving layup | 34-27 |
| 9:45 | | Chris Boucher personal foul (Sam Hauser draws the foul) | ||
| 10:03 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 10:05 | | Bruce Brown misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:21 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 32-27 |
| 10:27 | | Bruce Brown personal foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 10:35 | | +2 | Chris Boucher makes two point pullup jump shot (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 29-27 |
| 10:44 | | Jamison Battle defensive rebound | ||
| 10:47 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:00 | | Bruce Brown personal foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | ||
| 11:00 | | Sam Hauser offensive rebound | ||
| 11:03 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:15 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 11:17 | | Jamison Battle misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 11:22 | | Kristaps Porzingis turnover (bad pass) (Scottie Barnes steals) | ||
| 11:37 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 11:39 | | Scottie Barnes misses two point layup |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | | End of period | ||
| 0:01 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 0:01 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:14 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 0:15 | | Bruce Brown misses two point tip layup | ||
| 0:15 | | Bruce Brown offensive rebound | ||
| 0:18 | | Bruce Brown misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 0:21 | | Payton Pritchard personal foul (Scottie Barnes draws the foul) | ||
| 0:32 | | +2 | Al Horford makes two point driving layup (Jayson Tatum assists) | 29-25 |
| 0:47 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 0:48 | | Jamal Shead misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 0:50 | | Scottie Barnes defensive rebound | ||
| 0:53 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:59 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 1:01 | | Kelly Olynyk misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 1:28 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 27-25 |
| 1:45 | | Jamal Shead turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 1:45 | | Jamal Shead offensive foul (Luke Kornet draws the foul) | ||
| 1:56 | | Raptors 60 second timeout | ||
| 1:59 | | Jakob Poeltl defensive rebound | ||
| 2:02 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 2:16 | | Jamal Shead turnover (bad pass) (Sam Hauser steals) | ||
| 2:28 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point alley-oop dunk (Payton Pritchard assists) | 24-25 |
| 2:34 | | Sam Hauser offensive rebound | ||
| 2:36 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:47 | | +2 | RJ Barrett makes two point driving finger roll layup (Jamal Shead assists) | 22-25 |
| 3:09 | | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point jump shot (Al Horford assists) | 22-23 |
| 3:24 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 3:28 | | RJ Barrett misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:42 | | Ochai Agbaji defensive rebound | ||
| 3:45 | | Al Horford misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:02 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 4:04 | | RJ Barrett misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 4:04 | | Raptors offensive rebound | ||
| 4:04 | | RJ Barrett misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 4:04 | | Luke Kornet shooting foul (RJ Barrett draws the foul) | ||
| 4:07 | | Ochai Agbaji defensive rebound | ||
| 4:10 | | Sam Hauser misses two point jump shot | ||
| 4:19 | | +3 | Jamal Shead makes three point stepback jump shot | 19-23 |
| 4:22 | | Ochai Agbaji offensive rebound | ||
| 4:26 | | Luke Kornet blocks Ochai Agbaji's three point jump shot | ||
| 4:43 | | +1 | Payton Pritchard makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 19-20 |
| 4:43 | | +1 | Payton Pritchard makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-20 |
| 4:43 | | Jamal Shead shooting foul (Payton Pritchard draws the foul) | ||
| 4:47 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 4:50 | | RJ Barrett misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:06 | | Gradey Dick defensive rebound | ||
| 5:06 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:09 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 5:11 | | Kristaps Porzingis blocks Ochai Agbaji's two point cutting layup | ||
| 5:22 | | Jakob Poeltl defensive rebound | ||
| 5:24 | | Jrue Holiday misses two point tip layup | ||
| 5:24 | | Jrue Holiday offensive rebound | ||
| 5:28 | | Jrue Holiday misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 5:42 | | +2 | Jamal Shead makes two point driving floating jump shot (RJ Barrett assists) | 17-20 |
| 5:52 | | Raptors 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:54 | | +3 | Kristaps Porzingis makes three point jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 17-18 |
| 5:57 | | Jayson Tatum offensive rebound | ||
| 5:58 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 6:13 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 6:15 | | Ochai Agbaji misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:26 | | Ochai Agbaji defensive rebound | ||
| 6:28 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 6:44 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 6:46 | | Gradey Dick misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:56 | | +3 | Kristaps Porzingis makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 14-18 |
| 7:10 | | +3 | RJ Barrett makes three point jump shot (Gradey Dick assists) | 11-18 |
| 7:27 | | +1 | Jrue Holiday makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 11-15 |
| 7:27 | | +1 | Jrue Holiday makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 10-15 |
| 7:27 | | Ochai Agbaji shooting foul (Jrue Holiday draws the foul) | ||
| 7:30 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 7:33 | | Scottie Barnes misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:50 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point cutting dunk (Kristaps Porzingis assists) | 9-15 |
| 7:58 | | RJ Barrett turnover (bad pass) (Kristaps Porzingis steals) | ||
| 8:21 |