Jayson Tatum Scores 24 to Lead Celtics to 98-93 Win Over Raptors

Jayson Tatum scored 24 points to lift the Boston Celtics to a 98-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, securing a fifth straight win to close out a gruelling road trip in first place in the Eastern Conference.

The win arrived on the second night of an emotional back-to-back for Boston, less than 24 hours after winning a highly publicized matchup. The Celtics battled through fatigue to post their third-best defensive rating of the season, overcoming an early 22-point deficit against a short-handed Raptors squad.

“You can kind of mail it in and just say, ‘second night of a back-to-back, blah blah blah,’” Joe Mazzulla acknowledged to reporters after the game.

Tatum shot 6-for-21 from the field, adding seven rebounds and eight assists. Despite an underwhelming shooting night, he took over during critical stretches, including an 11-point outburst in the second quarter and two massive plays in the closing minutes.

Derrick White turned in a standout two-way performance for Boston with 19 points, four blocked shots, and a steal. Neemias Queta pulled down 13 rebounds, including some big ones on both ends late.

The Raptors played without Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard. Toronto forced Boston into difficult late shot-clock situations throughout the contest before the Celtics pulled away in the final minutes.

“Neemi continues to get better and better at both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla told reporters after the game. “Honestly, his offensive presence is just as impactful. Defensively he just lifts us to another level with his rim protection.”

“I’m so hard on myself, just having him being hard on me doesn’t really affect me,” Queta said. “I think he needs to actually be harder on me. A couple things, I could have gotten way better looks tonight, finishing around the rim, I made way too many turnovers, and that’s something I need to be better at.”

The Celtics return home for three days of rest before hosting the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden on Sunday.