Boston Celtics (28-11) at Toronto Raptors (9-31) Game #40 1/15/25

The Boston Celtics take a quick trip across the US-Canada border to face off against the Toronto Raptors tonight. This will be Boston’s third time facing off against Toronto, winning the two prior matchups. The first matchup was back in November when the Celtics needed overtime and a Jayson Tatum game-winning three to come out on top 126-123 at TD Garden.

More recently, Boston and Toronto squared off on New Year’s Eve with the Celtics again protecting home court with a 54-point thrashing of the Raptors 125-71.

Boston has had mixed results lately and won six out of their last 10 games. Most recently, they narrowly defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in a game that came down to the wire. After a 3-1 road trip, the Celtics were stunned at home against the Kings. Even though the Celtics haven’t been dominating as much as they did last season, they still sit firmly in second place just 5.5 games behind Clevland in first and three games ahead of the Knicks. Now on Wednesday, the Green and White will look to put together a winning streak against a struggling opponent.

The Raptors are fresh off of a home win against Golden State on Monday. Before the game against the Warriors, Toronto was on a five-game losing streak losing to the Magic, Bucks, Knicks, Cavs, and Pistons. They currently sit 13th in the Eastern Conference.

Injury news:

The Celtics do not have any players listed on the injury report.

For Toronto against Golden State, Immanuel Quickley missed the game and was listed with a hip injury. It seems unlikely he’ll be healthy to play against Boston on Wednesday night. Quickley had a game to remember against the Celtics in years past when he was a member of the Knicks when he posted a then career-high 38 points back in 2023.

Key Matchups

Scottie Barnes vs. Jayson Tatum.

Each team’s best player is having a strong season so far. Barnes, in his fourth season with the Raptors, has increased his scoring average each year. This season, he’s averaging 20.4 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. Everything starts and ends with Barnes and if the Celtics can slow him down, they’ll have a good shot of winning the game.

Jayson Tatum leads the Celtics in points (28.1), assists (5.3), rebounds (9.4), and steals (1.3). The only category he doesn’t lead the team in is blocks. After an impressive campaign last year, it was hard to imagine how much more Tatum could improve, but he’s doing more on the glass than he’s ever done in prior seasons.

RJ Barrett vs. Jaylen Brown

The one matchup that I’m curious to watch is Jaylen Brown vs. RJ Barrett. Brown when he’s locked in has been able to defend the opposing team’s best players and make them work for every shot. He’ll need to be on his A-game against Barrett who’s been enjoying a successful season back in his native country.

Since being dealt to Toronto for OG Anunoby, RJ Barrett has looked like the promising prospect everyone coveted after his lone season at Duke University. Barrett is leading the Raptors in scoring with 22.4 points per game. The guard missed a few games earlier this month due to illness but he’s back healthy and starting for Toronto.

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images

Celtics bigs vs. Jakob Poeltl

Against the Kings, the Celtics struggled to keep Domantas Sabonis off of the glass. Sabonis finished with 23 points and 28 rebounds. Against the Raptors, although he’s not as good of a rebounder as Sabonis, the Celtics will need to make sure Jakob Poeltl doesn’t dominate the glass. The Austrian is averaging 14.8 points and 10.6 rebounds.

It’s going to take a team effort to make sure Boston doesn’t lose the rebounding battle.

It’s a game on paper where the Celtics should win, however, the Raptors will be feeling confident after their win over Golden State. If Boston thinks they can just stroll into the Scotiabank Arena and leave with another 50+ point win, they will be in for a rude awakening.