It wasn’t pretty, but the Celtics started their final stretch at TD Garden with a 115-101 win over the Raptors. Jaylen Brown was a driving machine, Jayson Tatum held court as Boston’s primary playmaker and nearly racked up another triple-double, and Nikola Vucevic returned with mixed results.
Toronto could potentially be a first round opponent when the playoffs start in two weeks. They currently have an identical 43-35 record with the 76ers. Philadelphia owns the tiebreak and subsequently, the #6
seed. That would put the Raptors in the Play-In Tournament with the Hornets, Magic, and Heat as possible opponents.
For the Celtics, their magic number to clinch the second seed is now two. Their odds have improved all month with our friends at FanDuel and now are +550 to raise Banner 19 and the favorite to rep the Eastern Conference in the 2026 NBA Finals.
Jaylen Brown
35 minutes, 26 points (1-3 from 3, 3-5 from the free throw line, 11-20 from the field), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 turnovers, 2 steals, +13
The Raptors have plenty of size on the wing to defend the JB. No matter. Brown drove the ball effectively all afternoon and scored nearly all his points in the restricted area.
It seems like ever since Brown was ejected in San Antonio, he’s made it a point to force the issue with the officiating. He went to the line only five times against the Raptors, but he averaged over ten trips to the line during the road trip. Those could be valuably efficient points in the playoffs — if the refs blow the whistle.
Grade: B+
Jayson Tatum
34 minutes, 23 points (2-6 from 3, 7-8 from the free throw line, 7-15 from the field), 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 turnovers, 3 steals, +13
For the third straight game, Tatum put up near triple-double numbers, this time against a potential playoff opponent. His three-point stroke just hasn’t clicked yet (33% in his return), but he hasn’t leaned on it too much whenever he’s working at the top of the arc.
Instead, he’s really embraced the hub-of-the-wheel role as the team’s primary playmaker, particularly when it comes to connecting with Queta.
Grade: A-
Neemias Queta
34 minutes, 18 points (9-10 from the field), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, +30
Queta has now made 30 of his last 41 field goal attempts over the last four games. He can either be quick off the catch by not dropping the ball below his shoulders and getting off a shot before his counterpart can contest or dial into a series of McHale-esque drop steps and finishes around the rim.
Grade: A
Sam Hauser
26 minutes, 8 points (1-4 from 3, 3-7 from the field), 2 rebounds, one assist, one turnover, +9
In what has become a familiar theme with Hauser over the past few weeks, Sam has hit the hard ones and missed the bunnies.
That reminded me of Larry Legend when IQ > physical ability.
Grade: B-
Derrick White
35 minutes, 10 points (2-3 from 3, 4—7 from the field), 6 rebounds, 6 assists, one turnover, one steal, +20
My theory is that at this point, Brown and Tatum are experimenting with roles and where their shots are going to come from when the playoffs start in two weeks, whereas White is just laying in the cut and picking his spots. To wit, he scored half of his points with less than five minutes left in the game. They didn’t exactly qualify as clutch minutes, but no doubt he’ll be there when it matters.
Grade: B
Payton Pritchard
30 minutes, 17 points (1-3 from 3, 2-2 from the free throw line, 7-12 from the field), one rebound, 3 assists, one turnover, 3 steals, +9
Pritchard was 6-for-9 in the paint in other masterclass of the mid-range.
I hope Joe Mazzulla appreciates this, but Payton’s game reminds me of when Bruce Lee would train on those wooden dummies. He’s got a counter to any defense.
Grade: B+
Nikola Vucevic
13 minutes, 4 points (0-2 from 3, 2-5 from the field), 4 rebounds, one assist, 2 turnovers, +14
Vucevic has five games to get his feet wet again before the playoffs. After missing fourteen games with a fractured finger — he’s been out since Tatum’s return — he looked rusty and not ready for game speed. However, there’s little doubt that the 14-year vet won’t be ready for Round 1. His pick-and-pop game is perfect for Boston’s offensive system.
Grade: B
Baylor Scheierman
17 minutes, 5 points (1—5 from 3, 2-8 from the field), 5 rebounds, +0
Just a ho-hum game for the King of the Wings.
Grade: B
Jordan Walsh
13 minutes, 4 points (0-2 from 3, 2-4 from the field), one steal, +6
After a stretch of DNP-CDs, Walsh has unexpectedly rejoined the rotation as the 9th man/2nd wing off the bench, with Gonzalez’s playing time as the main casualty.
Although both have had positive stretches defending the opposing team’s best players, the slight edge belongs to Walsh with experience winning over just not knowing any better. Moments like this can change the complexion of a game and subsequently, a series:
Grade: B
Hugo Gonzalez & Ron Harper Jr.
2 minutes, -2
With how well Gonzalez and Harper Jr. have looked in spurts this season, it’s unfortunate that we don’t get to see them play meaningful minutes here at the end of the season. At least Harper Jr. is now signed for the remainder of the regular season.
Mazzulla seems to be trimming the rotation down to nine players and they’re just simply the odd man out…until Mazzulla throws another curve ball and one of those guys are starting a game next week.
Grade: INC
DNP-CDs: Luka Garza, Max Shulga, John Tonje, Amari Williams
