Celtics set impressive new record in win over Raptors

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Celtics set impressive new record in win over Raptors

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Mon, Apr 6, 2026 ·

3 min read

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BOSTON — While the Celtics have been known to shoot plenty of 3-pointers over the last few years, that wasn’t the case in their win over the Raptors on Sunday . The C’s created great looks near the bucket, which also led to a new impressive record.

The Celtics scored 76 points in the paint against the Raptors . That’s their most in a game in the play-by-play era, which dates back to the 1996-97 season. It was an impressive showing from the Celtics as they put pressure on the rim all night. While the Raptors kept it close through three quarters, the Celtics pulled away in the fourth.

“That’s big for us is getting downhill, getting to that paint,” Jaylen Brown said. “I think that opens up a lot of our 3s, so in times that our 3-ball is not falling, we got to find other ways to win. In the past, that’s probably been one of our critiques is that when we shoot a lot of 3s, sometimes we don’t get to the paint enough, so to see us being able to dominate some games in the paint is good.”

It was an impressive effort from starting center Neemias Queta , who finished with 18 points and seven rebounds on 9-for-10 shooting. Jayson Tatum and Queta has built quick chemistry over the past month. Tatum has played well off big men plenty in the past, using his playmaking to set up teammates well near the bucket.

While the Celtics personnel has changed compared to the past couple years, they still rely heavily on 3-pointers. They’re top-5 in the NBA in 3-pointers attempted and made, exploiting mismatches in their offense. But the C’s shot just 8-for-28 (28.6%) on their 3s Sunday, instead relying on getting to the bucket.

“I feel like they’re a team that pressures a lot, so once you get past the main guy, you get an advantage created, like so much clearer to get down there,” Queta said. “We were able to kick out and get open 3s as well because of that. But our mentality was to just attack the paint and get downhill.”

The Celtics picked up an important victory Sunday to improve to 53-25. They’re now three games up on the third-place Knicks , who are 50-38, with four games left in the regular season. While New York has the tiebreaker and the teams meet Thursday, the C’s are still in a strong position to grab the No. 2 seed in the East playoffs.

Most importantly, the C’s are playing some of their best basketball heading into the playoffs. Tatum finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, marking his ninth double-double in his 13 games this season. Brown continues to be a go-to scorer with 26 points. That’s all led to the Celtics being able to beat teams in a variety of different ways, much like they showed Sunday against the Raptors.

“The game opened up for us in the middle of the second quarter, where we were playing really good defense, getting out into our offense,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So the second quarter was great. Third quarter, obviously, we lost it by five, but I thought the end of the third quarter we were decent, and then I thought the whole fourth quarter we played well.”

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