NBA: Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum guide Celtics to big win over Raptors

Jaylen Brown led the Boston Celtics with a game-high 26 points, while Jayson Tatum contributed 23 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists as Boston defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors 115-101 on Sunday.

The victory improves Boston’s (53-25) dominance at home against Toronto (43-35), marking their ninth straight home win over the Raptors. Toronto has not beaten the Celtics in Boston since 2021, and Boston has claimed 21 of the last 24 regular-season matchups between the two teams.

Supporting the Celtics’ effort, Neemias Queta added 18 points and seven rebounds, Payton Pritchard scored 17 points, and Derrick White contributed 10 points. Boston also welcomed back Nikola Vucevic, who played his first game since fracturing his right ring finger on March 6. Vucevic tallied four points and four rebounds in the outing. Before his injury, he averaged 10.4 points and 7.2 rebounds in 12 games with Boston after being traded from Chicago.

For Toronto, Ja’Kobe Walter led the team with 16 points, while Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett scored 15 points each.

The game started with Toronto jumping to a 10-2 lead, but the Raptors closed the first quarter on an 11-4 run to tie it 26-26. Toronto built a 38-30 advantage early in the second quarter, but Boston responded with a Queta dunk to tie the game 40-40. Brown’s late floater gave Boston a 54-46 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, Ingram’s free throws tied the game 75-75, but the Celtics finished the quarter up 80-77. Boston took control in the fourth, opening a double-digit lead at 89-79 with two Tatum free throws. Despite Toronto narrowing the gap to 98-91, Queta’s putback dunk and White’s three-pointer secured Boston’s dominance. The Celtics’ largest lead of the game came at 18 points with 2:37 remaining.

Boston now continues its strong finish to the regular season, while Toronto looks to regroup before the playoffs.

-Field Level Media/Reuters