Toronto Raptors (43-34) at Boston Celtics (52-25)
Sunday, April 5, 2026
3:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #78 Home Game #38
TV: NBCSB, Sportsnet, NBA-TV
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub,TSN 1050, Sirius XM
TD Garden
Boston, MA
Toronto Raptors (43-34) at Boston Celtics (52-25) Game #78 4/5/26
The Celtics return home to take on the division rival Toronto Raptors. This is the 4th, and final meeting between these two teams this season. The Celtics won 121-113 on December 7 in Toronto. They won 112-96 on December 20, also in Toronto. They won 125-117 on January 9 in Boston. The Celtics have won their last 8 games against the Raptors in Boston. The Celtics won the series 3-1 last season, losing one game in Toronto. The Celtics are 76-43 overall all time and they are 45-14 in games played in Boston.
The Raptors made 2 minor deals at the trade deadline . They traded Ochai Agbaji to the Clippers for Chris Paul, who they then waived and CP3 chose to retire. Similar to several of the Celtics deadline deals, this was to bring the Raptors under the tax line. They also traded a second round pick to the Warriors for Trayce Jackson-Davis to fill the need for a back up center.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York, 4 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 7.5 games ahead of 5th place Atlanta, and 9 games ahead of 6th place Toronto and 9.5 games ahead of 7th place Philadelphia. The Celtics are 33-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 26-11 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.
The Raptors are 6th in the East, 6.5 games behind 3rd place New York, 5 games behind 4th place Cleveland, and 1.5 games behind 5th place Atlanta. They are half a game ahead of 7th place Philadelphia, 1.5 games ahead of 8th place Charlotte, and 2 games ahead of 9th place Orlando. They are 30-17 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 22-17 on the road and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
After this game at home against Toronto they will host Charlotte before one game on the road at New York. They will finish the season with 2 games at home against New Orleans and Orlando. After this game on the road at Boston for Toronto, they will return home to play 2 games against Miami. They will then play at New York before finishing the season at home against Brooklyn.
After being out 4 weeks due to surgery to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger, Nikola Vucevic has been upgraded to questionable for this game. His status will be a game time decision. For the Raptors, Chucky Hepburn is out due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. Immanuel Quickley will miss his eighth straight game due to right foot plantar fasciitis.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Ja’Kobe Walter
SG: Jaylen Brown vs RJ Barrett
SF: Sam Hauser vs Brandon Ingram
PF: Jayson Tatum vs Scottie Barnes
C: Neemias Queta vs Jakob Poeltl
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Jordan Walsh
Baylor Scheierman
Max Shulga
John Tonje
Ron Harper, Jr
2-Way Players
None
Injuries/Out
Nikola Vucevic (finger) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Raptors Reserves
Jamison Battle
Gradey Dick
Trayce Jackson-Davis
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Jonathan Mogbo
Collin Murray-Boyles
Jamal Shead
Garrett Temple
2 Way Players
Chucky Hepburn
AJ Lawson
Alijah Martin
Injuries/Out
Chucky Hepburn (knee) out
Immanuel Quickley (foot) out
Head Coach
Darko Rajakovic
Key Matchups
Sam Hauser vs Brandon Ingram
Ingram is averaging 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 47.2% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc. In the 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 27 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 56.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to do a better job of defending him in this game.
Jayson Tatum vs Scottie Barnes
Barnes is averaging 18.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field and 29.6% from beyond the arc. In the 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 40.7% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc. Although he has been struggling to hit 3’s, he is capable of hitting them if left open.
Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs RJ Barrett
Barrett is averaging 19.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 49.5% from the field and 34.6% from beyond the arc. He played in just 1 game against the Celtics this season and finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists while shooting 40% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. The Celtics have to defend him better in this game.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is the most important key to winning. The Celtics are 4th in the league with a defensive rating of 111.8. The Raptors are 7th with a defensive rating of 114.7. The Celtics must stay committed to playing tough, lock down defense, especially against a Raptors team that plays good defense themselves. The Celtics must especially defend in the paint as the Raptors put up 53 points in the paint per game (5th).
Rebound – As with defense, rebounding will always be a key to winning every game. The Celtics are 4th with 46.5 rebounds per game. The Raptors are 23rd with 42.2 rebounds per game. The Celtics will need to rebound as a team with players crashing the boards from every position. The Celtics can’t score without the ball and rebounding is a great way to get the ball and to get extra possessions and to also deny the Raptors extra possessions and 2nd chance points.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics are at their best when the ball moves and they make the extra pass. When the ball sticks and players try to do too much, the Celtics struggle. They are 34-2 this season when they have 25 or more assists and they are 18-0 when they have 29 or more assists. The Raptors are 2nd with 29.5 assists per game. But, the Celtics have to make careful passes and not get sloppy because the Raptors are 5th in the league, averaging 20 points off turnovers and 18.9 fast break points per game (1st).
Play with Energy and Focus for 48 Minutes – The Celtics must play with effort and energy and they have to play harder than the Raptors for all 4 quarters. The team that plays the hardest and that is more aggressive will usually get a better whistle. They also must stay focused on taking good shots and making them. If the 3’s are falling, they are tough to beat. But, if the 3’s aren’t falling, it can get ugly and so the Celtics need to focus on taking the best shots, whether that means shooting more 3’s or taking the ball into the paint if they aren’t falling.
Home Game – The Celtics are once again home and they should get a boost from the home crowd and they have the benefit of not having to travel. The Raptors are playing in the 2nd straight game on the road and may be a little road weary. They also have the distractions of travel, staying in hotels, and playing in front of a hostile crowd.
Officiating – The officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight with a lot of fouls while others let them play and let a lot of contact go. The Celtics have to adapt to how the game is being called and not allow bad calls and no calls to take away their focus on playing the game. If they play well enough, the refs won’t make a difference.
The World Cup economic windfall boosting Boston gives rise to a question: Could the Hub host the Olympics?
Certainly Bostonians have more than risen to the occasion in terms of welcoming international visitors to our city and showing them a good time (and vice versa, Tartan Army). But it takes more than great hosts and a convivial atmosphere to pull off an epic sporting event.
It takes money, lots of it, political transparency, and a process open to public scrutiny and feedback. In other words, no, we couldn’t.
Public reception to the 2014 Olympics bid was tepid at best, as it would entail multiple construction projects. And when big construction projects are presented in Boston, taxpayers get suspicious. Big Dig, anyone?
Boston 24 announced it estimated the Games would produce at least $4.8 billion in revenues from television broadcast rights, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and other revenues, the Associated Press reported. They assumed nearly $4.6 billion in costs, including $176 million for a temporary Olympic Stadium, $90 million for the athletes’ village, about $754 million to build other Olympic venues and another $132 million to rent other locations.
They reportedly announced all this to answer critics who said the privately funded Boston 2024 withheld details of the bid to prevent the public from assessing whether the Games could be staged, as promised, without the need for taxpayer money.
We learned the answer to that soon enough.
In this case, as the Herald reported that year, details from Boston 2024’s so-called bid book indicated that plans sent to the U.S. Olympic Committee called for the Hub to fund “land acquisition and infrastructure costs” at Widett Circle, where a temporary Olympic stadium was being proposed. It came after months of promises that the group planned to run a privately funded Olympics.
“They’ve been saying for months, ‘No taxpayer (money),’ ” said Evan Falchuk, a vocal bid critic who pushed for a statewide ballot question on hosting the games. “Then you read what they told the USOC. … It’s a devastating blow to their credibility. There’s a reason why voters don’t trust what they’ve heard and (Boston 2024 has) got a lot of work to do to earn that trust.”
And all this talk of money came before any cost overruns made an appearance. London’s budget for the 2012 Summer Games escalated by about 300%, ending somewhere in the $14 billion range. What were the chances we’d fare any better?
No wonder Bostonians gave the Olympics idea the cold shoulder.
But what of the city’s World Cup success story? For starters, Gillette Stadium is already built, and the only large element requiring a cash infusion was the MBTA, which shelled out $35 million to upgrade Foxboro Station in advance of the Cup. They’ll make a nice chunk of that back, as the T spiked round-trip Commuter Rail ticket prices between South Station and Gillette Stadium for fútbol fans to $80.
In this case, Bostonians are on the winning side, reaping benefits from free-spending (and thirsty) visitors, and reveling in the good vibes.
It would be great for the city if megaprojects, or even minor ones, came with the guarantee of financial transparency before shovels hit the dirt. Optimists should look at White Stadium before calling it a day.
Boston, MA
With Columbia Threadneedle out, Boston Triathlon director is looking for a new sponsor – The Boston Globe
Michael O’Neil is on the hunt for the next John Hancock.
As many Boston sports fans know, the insurance company first sponsored the Boston Marathon 40 years ago, helping usher in the modern professional era of the race as well as tens of millions of dollars in community fund-raising each year.
O’Neil wants to make a similar leap for the race he runs, the Boston Triathlon. This will be the first year without a naming-rights sponsor after nine years with Ameriprise Financial-owned Columbia Threadneedle Investments. O’Neil is seeking a successor that can help make an impact on the race the way Hancock once did with the marathon, a sponsorship role now played by Bank of America.
“We’re looking for that next transformational partner that wants to do something like that,” O’Neil said.
The 18-year-old triathlon draws nearly 2,500 athletes to Carson Beach in South Boston each August, for sprint and Olympic-distance triathlons, and also features free kids’ races the day before at the same location; Amazon has been a big sponsor for the “Kids Day” events.
O’Neil says he would like to extend the race beyond loops in South Boston to showcase more of the city and boost tourism; the Meet Boston tourism bureau is also among the race’s sponsors. Another hope of O’Neil’s: to continue community efforts that he and his race management firm, Ethos, undertook with support from Columbia Threadneedle, including donations to Boston Medical Center and the city’s “Swim Safe” program to provide swim lessons for kids. (O’Neil started an affiliated nonprofit to help expand this community work in 2024.)
He expects the race’s naming-rights sponsorship to cost “in the mid-six figures” annually.
“We’re over this hump now, after 18 years, we’re an institution,” O’Neil said. “We’re seeking a Boston-based company, that’s headquartered here or has a large presence here, that wants to make an impact on the community. … We know how to do that.”
This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston’s business scene.
Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.
Although it is just June 22, it’s certainly starting to seem like the Boston Red Sox could end up being sellers later on this summer when the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline gets here.
Boston took two out of three games from the Seattle Mariners over the weekend, but still finds itself 13 games under .500 at 31-44. Right now, Boston is six games out of an American League Wild Card spot as well. Boston needs a long winning streak to turn the tide. If not, the club will certainly trade pieces away. The conversation has gotten loud enough around the team that Red Sox starter Sonny Gray said he “would be open” to having a conversation about waiving his no-trade clause if someone from the club approached him about it to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.
“If someone came to me from the Red Sox and made a decision that that’s the direction that this team was going to go, I would be open for a conversation,” Gray said to Healey. “Whatever happens from then, only time will tell. But I would be open for a conversation.
Could Sonny Gray Be The Next Star Out Of Boston?
“Holding veto power is ‘an earned thing’ and means a lot, Gray said. He negotiated it into the three-year, $75 million deal he signed with the Cardinals heading into 2024.”
When it comes to Gray, he has been a major addition for Boston so far this season. He has a 3.12 ERA in 13 starts to go along with a 55-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 69 1/3 innings pitched. Gray is also 8-1 on the season. Even in a campaign full of losses for Boston, Gray has been able to consistently be a stopper for the club.
If he were to become available, he would be an intriguing, although imperfect trade candidate. From a talent perspective, he’s awesome and would help a contender. But from a contract point of view, he has a $30 million mutual option for the 2027 season with a $10 million buyout. Mutual options rarely get picked up. The buyout is very high and could be a barrier. That will be a bridge to cross later on, though. What’s important to note right now is the fact that Gray is “open” to a conversation about a trade. It doesn’t mean that it will happen, but it’s possible.
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