TORONTO – Forward Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, including three for four shooting from beyond the three-point line, to help the Boston Celtics avert a wild comeback attempt from the Toronto Raptors in a 121-113 win on Sunday.
Brandon Ingram’s 30 points led the Raptors, who were behind 23 points early in the third quarter and took their first lead with a Jamal Shead layup with 10:39 remaining at Scotiabank Arena.
The teams were tied 102-102 when Payton Prichard made a three-pointer with 7:15 remaining to put Boston (15-9) up for good for its fifth win in a row. The Raptors (15-10) dropped their third straight.
Guard Derrick White added 27 points, while Pritchard was good for 15.
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Raptors Scottie Barnes and Sandro Mamukelashvili checked in with 18 and 14 points, respectively. Barnes also had 11 rebounds and eight assists.
The visitors jumped out to a 10-3 lead. They enjoyed an eight-point advantage after the first quarter and extended their lead to 77-59 at the half.
The Raptors pulled to within four points with three-pointers from Ochai Agbaji and Shead with 1:47 remaining in the third quarter.
The Celtics went 20 for 47 in their three-point attempts. Toronto only made nine of 22.
Takeaways
Raptors: Guard Immanuel Quickley was a game-time decision with an illness. He managed with 11 points after scoring a season-high 31 in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
Celtics: Montreal’s Chris Boucher was honoured with a video tribute before the game. He returned to Scotiabank Arena for his first regular-season game since the 32-year-old forward departed the Raptors to sign with Boston last summer.
Key moment
Pritchard’s nifty pass for a White layup with 55.3 seconds remaining in the second quarter capped off a 7-0 run to put the Celtics in front by 22.
Key stat
The Celtics’ 77-point first half was the most allowed by the Raptors in a half this season. The previous high was the 75 put up by the Dallas Mavericks in the second half at home on Oct 26.
Up next
Celtics: Visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.
Raptors: Conclude five-game homestand against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press