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Toronto Raptors (43-34) at Boston Celtics (52-25)
Sunday, April 5, 2026
3:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #78 Home Game #38
TV: NBCSB, Sportsnet, NBA-TV
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub,TSN 1050, Sirius XM
TD Garden 
Possible Starting Matchups Point Guard 
vs
Derrick White vs JaKobe Walter
Shooting Guard 
vs
Jaylen Brown vs RJ Barrett
Small Forward 
vs
Sam Hauser vs Brandon Ingram
Power Forward 
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Scottie Barnes
Center 
vs
Neemias Queta vs Jakob Poeltl
Celtics ReservesPayton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Jordan Walsh
Baylor Scheierman
Max Shulga
John Tonje
Ron Harper, Jr
2-Way PlayersNone
Injuries/OutNikola Vucevic (finger) questionable
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Raptors Reserves Jamison Battle
Gradey Dick
Trayce Jackson-Davis
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Jonathan Mogbo
Collin Murray-Boyles
Jamal Shead
Garrett Temple
2 Way PlayersChucky Hepburn
AJ Lawson
Alijah Martin
Injuries/Out Chucky Hepburn (knee) out
Immanuel Quickley (foot) out
Head Coach Darko Rajakovic
Game Notes The Celtics return home to take on the division rival Toronto Raptors. This is the 4th, and final meeting between these two teams this season. The Celtics won 121-113 on December 7 in Toronto. They won 112-96 on December 20, also in Toronto. They won 125-117 on January 9 in Boston. The Celtics have won their last 8 games against the Raptors in Boston. The Celtics won the series 3-1 last season, losing one game in Toronto. The Celtics are 76-43 overall all time and they are 45-14 in games played in Boston.
The Raptors made 2 minor deals at the trade deadline . They traded Ochai Agbaji to the Clippers for Chris Paul, who they then waived and CP3 chose to retire. Similar to several of the Celtics deadline deals, this was to bring the Raptors under the tax line. They also traded a second round pick to the Warriors for Trayce Jackson-Davis to fill the need for a back up center.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York, 4 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 7.5 games ahead of 5th place Atlanta, and 9 games ahead of 6th place Toronto and 9.5 games ahead of 7th place Philadelphia. The Celtics are 33-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 26-11 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.
The Raptors are 6th in the East, 6.5 games behind 3rd place New York, 5 games behind 4th place Cleveland, and 1.5 games behind 5th place Atlanta. They are half a game ahead of 7th place Philadelphia, 1.5 games ahead of 8th place Charlotte, and 2 games ahead of 9th place Orlando. They are 30-17 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 22-17 on the road and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
After this game at home against Toronto they will host Charlotte before one game on the road at New York. They will finish the season with 2 games at home against New Orleans and Orlando. After this game on the road at Boston for Toronto, they will return home to play 2 games against Miami. They will then play at New York before finishing the season at home against Brooklyn.
After being out 4 weeks due to surgery to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger, Nikola Vucevic has been upgraded to questionable for this game. His status will be a game time decision. For the Raptors, Chucky Hepburn is out due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. Immanuel Quickley will miss his eighth straight game due to right foot plantar fasciitis.
Key Matchups vs
Sam Hauser vs Brandon Ingram
Ingram is averaging 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 47.2% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc. In the 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 27 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 56.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to do a better job of defending him in this game.
Power Forward vs
Jayson Tatum vs Scottie Barnes
Barnes is averaging 18.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field and 29.6% from beyond the arc. In the 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 40.7% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc. Although he has been struggling to hit 3's, he is capable of hitting them if left open.
Honorable Mention Jaylen Brown vs RJ Barrett
Barrett is averaging 19.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 49.5% from the field and 34.6% from beyond the arc. He played in just 1 game against the Celtics this season and finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists while shooting 40% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. The Celtics have to defend him better in this game.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is the most important key to winning. The Celtics are 4th in the league with a defensive rating of 111.8. The Raptors are 7th with a defensive rating of 114.7. The Celtics must stay committed to playing tough, lock down defense, especially against a Raptors team that plays good defense themselves. The Celtics must especially defend in the paint as the Raptors put up 53 points in the paint per game (5th).
Rebound - As with defense, rebounding will always be a key to winning every game. The Celtics are 4th with 46.5 rebounds per game. The Raptors are 23rd with 42.2 rebounds per game. The Celtics will need to rebound as a team with players crashing the boards from every position. The Celtics can't score without the ball and rebounding is a great way to get the ball and to get extra possessions and to also deny the Raptors extra possessions and 2nd chance points.
Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics are at their best when the ball moves and they make the extra pass. When the ball sticks and players try to do too much, the Celtics struggle. They are 34-2 this season when they have 25 or more assists and they are 18-0 when they have 29 or more assists. The Raptors are 2nd with 29.5 assists per game. But, the Celtics have to make careful passes and not get sloppy because the Raptors are 5th in the league, averaging 20 points off turnovers and 18.9 fast break points per game (1st).
Play with Energy and Focus for 48 Minutes - The Celtics must play with effort and energy and they have to play harder than the Raptors for all 4 quarters. The team that plays the hardest and that is more aggressive will usually get a better whistle. They also must stay focused on taking good shots and making them. If the 3's are falling, they are tough to beat. But, if the 3's aren't falling, it can get ugly and so the Celtics need to focus on taking the best shots, whether that means shooting more 3's or taking the ball into the paint if they aren't falling.
Home Game - The Celtics are once again home and they should get a boost from the home crowd and they have the benefit of not having to travel. The Raptors are playing in the 2nd straight game on the road and may be a little road weary. They also have the distractions of travel, staying in hotels, and playing in front of a hostile crowd.
Officiating - The officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight with a lot of fouls while others let them play and let a lot of contact go. The Celtics have to adapt to how the game is being called and not allow bad calls and no calls to take away their focus on playing the game. If they play well enough, the refs won't make a difference.
Topic: Raptors (43-34) at Celtics (52-25) Game #78 4/5/26 (Read 940 times)