Raptors fight without Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, but lose to Celtics

The Toronto Raptors were shorthanded, leading to a loss against the Boston Celtics.

Toronto Raptors forward Jamison Battle and Boston Celtics guard Jordan Walsh. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are seeing their losing streak snap at the hands of the Boston Celtics by a score of 125-117 inside TD Garden.

The Raptors came into the game without three starters in Jakob Poeltl (back), Brandon Ingram (thumb) and Scottie Barnes (knee), but Toronto doesn't want to use that as an excuse. To counter these injuries, the Raptors had Immanuel Quickley, Ja'Kobe Walter, RJ Barrett, Collin Murray-Boyles and Sandro Mamukelashvili.

The team's offence was flowing, but the defence was lacking, giving up 37 first-quarter points. The Raptors couldn't stop the Celtics' scoring, conceding a lead as large as 20. However, they fought back and got it back to single digits in the middle of the fourth quarter.

Toronto Raptors forward Jonathan Mogbo defends against Boston Celtics center Luka Garza. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Raptors fight hard, but lose vs. Celtics

The Raptors were led in scoring by Walter and Barrett who both scored 19 points. Quickley was right behind them with 17 points and 13 assists for a double-double, while Mamukelashvili joined them in double-figured with 15. Jamal Shead also scored in double-figured off the bench with 13 points and eight assists.

The Raptors went deep into their bench tonight playing some of the people that have been with the G-League affiliate 905 for most of the season. The Raptors gave 19 minutes to backup center Jonathan Mogbo and also played two-way players A.J. Lawson and Alijah Martin. All of them getting a chance to play with the NBA squad should do well for their development.

The Celtics were led by Payton Pritchard, who scored 27 points while dishing out eight assists. Jaylen Brown was right behind him with 25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Sam Hauser had 19 points while making five three-pointers, and Derrick White had 18 points of his own. Neemias Queta joined them in double figures with 10 points in 27 minutes, while Anfernee Simons scored 15 off the bench.

It's not a panic-inducing loss for the Raptors who looked suspect on paper for the game. They will take the lessons they've learned in this game and apply it to the future.

The Raptors will now get a chance to return home as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers for a back-to-back. The first of the two meetings between the division rivals comes on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET inside Scotiabank Arena. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.