Barrett exits, shorthanded Raptors fall to Celtics for eighth straight loss in Boston
From a buzzer-beater to a beatdown in Beantown, the shorthanded Toronto Raptors suffered yet another loss in Boston against the Celtics 125-117 Friday night.
The loss marked Toronto’s eighth straight loss at TD Garden, with the last win in Boston coming on Oct.22, 2021. The Raptors had won five of their last six games coming into this one, including coming off an electric game-winning shot from Immanuel Quickley against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
The Raptors, without Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, and centre Jakob Poeltl, were simply outmatched, as the Celtics improved to a 19-6 record since Nov. 12, the second-best in the association.
The 2025-2026 Celtics’ big three of Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, and Jaylen Brown — who had a 50-piece last Saturday — all contributed early.
A Pritchard three, a White layup, and an emphatic Brown dunk helped the Celtics jump out to a 9-3 lead.
After powering the Raptors over the Hornets on Wednesday, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley were once again propping up Toronto early.
The duo factored in on the first 13 points for Toronto, but Boston was firing from outside. One of the highest frequency 3-point shooting teams in the NBA was unsurprisingly let it fly, as Sam Hauser knocked in a pair as part of an 8-0 run to make it 22-13 Celtics midway through the opening quarter.
Boston held that 10-to-12 point lead for most of the quarter, before Jamal Shead hit a couple of 3-pointers to close the gap, as the Raptors eventually trailed 37-30 after one.
With Barnes, Ingram, and Poeltl out, the Raptors were getting contributions from everyone, including some help from the Raptors 905.
Jonathan Mogbo, Alijah Martin, and A.J. Lawson all contributed early in the second, helping Toronto cut the Boston lead to 45-42 four minutes into the frame.
A minute later, Collin Murray-Boyles would get the steal and slam over Pritchard, shortening the lead even further.
The Celtics responded with a 7-0 run before a Ja’Kobe Walter three, who finished with a season-high 19 points, calmed things down.
White, Brown, and Anfernee Simons kept the Raptors at bay the rest of the half, as Boston led 68-60 at the break.
Quickley got things going early in the third, draining a quick trigger three. The Celtics kept on their shooting, however, as they outscored the Raptors 18-11 through the first half of the frame, to extend their lead to 15 (86-71).
Boston tacked a 7-2 run on after that over the next three minutes, as Toronto’s 3-point shooting started to fall off. After starting 8-for-14 from distance, Toronto went 6-for-21 till this point, resulting in a 22-point Boston lead.
Shead, Jamison Battle, and Alijah Martin helped Toronto battle back to close the quarter; however, as the three sparked a 10-2 run to end the frame, cutting Boston’s lead to 97-86 heading into the fourth.
The fourth quarter started all Raptors, as a Martin 3-pointer and a Quickley floater were part of a 7-2 run by Toronto to trail by six with 10 minutes left.
Hauser and Walter took turns making shots for a couple of minutes before Brown threw down another big dunk, helping Boston out to a 112-103 lead midway through the quarter.
The injury bug continued to bite Toronto, however, as Barrett turned his left ankle after stepping on Pritchard’s foot in transition. After screaming out in pain, he limped immediately to the locker room.
With now four starters out for the Raptors, it would just be too much, as Boston cruised to victory the rest of the way.
The Raptors return home now and will welcome the Philadelphia 76ers for a pair of back-to-back games at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday and Monday.
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