Tired Celtics vs. Shorthanded Raptors: Injury Report, 3 Keys, and a Prediction

The Boston Celtics go for their fifth-straight win on a back-to-back, but they face a Raptors team missing its two best players.

Apr 5, 2026; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) dribbles the ball against Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9): Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Celtics will take on the Toronto Raptors less than 24 hours after a 123-101 win in Philadelphia that gave them the top spot in the East. They’ll try to stretch their winning streak to five against a Raptors team again missing Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard.

Records: Celtics 9-2 (4-2 on the road), Raptors 5-5 (2-2 at home) 

Broadcast details

• Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
• TV: NBC Sports Boston

Projected Starters

• Celtics: Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta
• Raptors: Jamal Shead, RJ Barrett, Ja’Kobe Walter, Collin Murray-Boyles, Jakob Poeltl

Officials: 

Gediminas Petraitis (#50), Justin Van Duyne (#64), JT Orr (#72)

Injury report

• Celtics: Paul George (illness) is out.
• Raptors: Scottie Barnes (left groin strain) and Kawhi Leonard (left knee) are both out. Nate Bittle (right avulsion fracture) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (illness) are also out. Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring) and Collin Murray-Boyles (illness) are have been upgraded to available. 

Here's your full-season Celtics guide, with the full roster, schedule, salaries, and more.

Season Series

This is the first of four meetings this season.

The Teams Coming In

The Celtic have won nine of 10 games, including the Tuesday night blowout in Philadelphia. They finally catch a break with three days off before a back-to-back at home Sunday and Monday.

Toronto has lost four of its last six. On Monday, Memphis beat the Raptors 118-102 in Toronto. Jamal Shead had 20 points and 11 assists, RJ Barrett scored 19, and Jakob Poeltl and Jamison Battle added 18 each.

Three Keys to the Game

Rebounding: The Raptors love to do two things: Run and crash the glass. So that means the Celtics have to make sure they're clearing defensive boards. The Raptors are a bad isolation team and terrible in the half court. Make them play a slower game where there aren’t opportunities to slash through gaps and get putbacks. 

Help off Jamal Shead: He’s only shooting 27% from three, so if there's any help to be given, help off him without worrying too much about the result. That doesn’t mean dare him to shoot, but it does mean short closeouts and, maybe, a leakout to get some easy transition buckets when he misses.  

Lean on depth: Hugo Gonzalez, Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza, and Ron Harper Jr. all played 19 minutes or less. Lean on them to carry some of the workload against a team whose strength is uptempo basketball. I don’t expect the shots to fall like they did last night in Philly, but I can see good ball movement, good cuts, and attacking basketball to work for Boston.

Prediction

I’m tempted to call this a letdown game after the big emotional win in Philadelphia. The guys are tired, and sometimes when the end of a rough stretch is in sight, it’s easy to let down and have a rough night. 

But I’m going to give this group credit for being well-connected and taking Joe Mazzulla’s message to heart. 

“In the grand scheme of things, tonight ain't really mean nothing,” Tatum said after beating the Sixers. “It's one game. Tonight is over with. We’re about to get on the plane, and we’ve got to play a good Toronto team tomorrow. Obviously, in the course of a game, it’s super intense and competitive. Competing and playing on a high level with your teammates. So yeah, emotions throughout a game, of course. But leading up to it or right after, I’m just like, put things in perspective.”

The Raptors are a so-so team right now and they're missing their two best players. There are other guys on their team anxious to step up, but the Celtics, even on tired legs, have what it takes to win, 103-94. 

Make sure you come back for postgame coverage here on Celtics On SI, and on the Locked On Celtics podcast.