4 takeaways as Celtics beat Raptors, key big man returns to court

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4 takeaways as Celtics beat Raptors, key big man returns to court

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Sun, Apr 5, 2026 ·

3 min read

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BOSTON — The Celtics beat the Raptors 115-101 on Sunday at TD Garden, sweeping the season series over their division rivals. The C's improved to 53-25 to strengthen their hold on the No. 2 seed in the East . The Raptors fell to 43-35 as they look to avoid the play-in tournament.

The C's started strong and hot, getting easy buckets at the rim. But the Raptors — who are in a race to avoid the play-in tournament — played desperate to keep it close. Sunday's game was also Nikola Vucevic's return after missing the past month because of a fractured right ring finger, though he didn't make much of an impact.

While the Raptors kept it competitive through three quarters, the C's pulled away in the fourth. They outscored Toronto 35-24 in the final frame, putting the finishing touches on the victory.

Jayson Tatum finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and seventh assists in another all-around effort. Jaylen Brown added 26 points and six rebounds. Jakob Poeltl had 14 points for the Raptors while Ja'Kobe Walter had 16 points.

The Celtics host the Hornets at 8 p.m. Tuesday for their next game. Here are four takeaways from Boston's win over Toronto:

Making a return:Vucevic played in his first game in nearly a month as the first big man off the bench for the Celtics. He finished with four points and four rebounds on 2-for-5 shooting. The first stint was a rough go as he didn't make much of an impact. Vucevic only played 13 minutes Sunday. It wasn't a huge statement from Vucevic, but it was his first game back in a while. The Celtics still have four more games left in the regular season, so those are minutes to get him back up to speed ahead of the playoffs.

Continuing the breakout: Queta showed why he's enjoyed such a breakout season, playing like one of the best players on the floor. He finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, shooting 9-for-10 from the field. It's not just that Queta has these stellar games, but it's also the consistency he's shown throughout the season. He's been a huge part of the team's success this season as the Celtics' starting center.

Double-double:Tatum isn't even a month into his return, but he already looks like his All-Star self. Sunday's game marked his ninth double-double in 14 games as he's been a force on the glass. Tatum shot 7-for-15 from the field in his 34 minutes. The playmaking also hasn't missed a beat, zipping passes across the court or finding Queta for easy buckets. If the Celtics are able to get this much of an effective Tatum in the playoffs, it changes their ceiling as an East contender.

Standings watch:The Celtics officially can't get the No. 1 seed in the East anymore after the Pistons won Saturday. However, they're still in a strong spot to get the No. 2 seed over the Knicks . The C's are now three games clear of the Knicks with four games left in the season. The teams still play Thursday in New York, so the C's still have some work to do. Plus the Knicks own the tiebreaker. But there's no doubt that the Celtics are in a position of strength. Notably, the Raptors fell to seventh in the East with the loss, which would put them in the play-in tourney. It's a big week for Toronto as it looks to finish top-6 in the East.

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