Celtics Wrap: Boston Prevails In Fourth-Quarter Battle Vs. Raptors

The Boston Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors, 108-105, at Scotiabank Arena on Friday night.

With the win, the Celtics improved to 11-2 while the Raptors dropped to 5-7.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston underwent an outright thriller in Toronto, exchanging baskets until the final buzzer.

The much less talented Raptors leaned on its strength of fourth-quarter grit to push the Celtics to their limit. Dennis Schröder and Pascal Siakim didn’t back down, combing to score 46 points as Toronto’s lineup leaders and give Boston a run for its money.

With Celtics star Jayson Tatum struggling, going 1-for-6 from the field and scoreless from beyond the arc in the final frame, Boston needed a clutch boost, which came at the picture-perfect moment to deflate all of Toronto’s crunch time momentum.

DERRICK WHITE FOR THE LEAD#DifferentHere pic.twitter.com/pci23rKFA6

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 18, 2023

Derrick White delivered the biggest basket of the night, draining a go-ahead 3-pointer with 26.8 seconds left in the game, giving the Celtics a much-needed 106-103 lead.

Boston’s defense followed that up by pressuring Toronto’s Scottie Barnes and forcing a low-quality game-tying heave to keep the Raptors off the scoreboard.

The C’s also improved to a perfect 2-0 in Group C play.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Jaylen Brown led Boston with an efficient 23-point performance. The 27-year-old shot 9-of-14 from the field with three rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal.

— Schröder, a former Celtics guard, matched Brown’s 23 points, shooting 9-of-19 from the field while knocking down five outside shots with seven rebounds and six assists.

— White scored 13 points and sent Toronto back to the loss column with his timely game-securing basket.

WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Kristaps Porzingis recording eight-plus rebounds at +115. By halftime, Porzingis had those odds cleared with eight rebounds exactly before finishing as the box score leader in that department with 12 total. A $100 wager placed on the 28-year-old would’ve netted a $215 total payout.

UP NEXT
The Celtics will return to normal regular season play on Sunday, off to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Sunday. Tipoff from FedExForum is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.