Raptors at Celtics
The Toronto Raptors seek a measure of revenge for a Christmas Day loss when they travel to Boston to take on the streaking Celtics on Saturday. Boston's Jaylen Brown scored 30 points and Kemba Walker added 22 as the Celtics raced to a 118-102 win at Toronto on Wednesday in the first game played on the holiday in Canada.
"We weren't quite physical enough, I thought, for most stretches of the game," Toronto coach Nick Nurse told reporters after his team built a 10-0 lead before suffering its second straight loss. The Raptors will try to avoid matching their longest losing streak of the season against a Boston squad that has won five in a row. Brown had another big game with a season-high 34 points in Friday's 129-117 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at home. Jayson Tatum added 30 for the Celtics, who shot 51.6 percent while improving to 13-1 at home.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN (Toronto), NBCS Boston
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (21-10): Toronto is 2-2 since losing star forward Pascal Siakam (groin), center Marc Gasol (hamstring) and guard Norman Powell (shoulder) to injury. Fred VanVleet did his best to fill the voids with 27 points, six assists and four steals in the loss to the Celtics. Chris Boucher set a career high in scoring for the second time in three games with 24 points in 28 minutes off the bench.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (22-7): Brown and Tatum had their struggles last season as the team searched for an identity following massive preseason expectations, but they're in quite a groove now. "They both have been able to do a lot and have consistently grown and gotten better," Boston coach Brad Stevens told reporters of the pair. "But I don't think we saw anything today that we haven't seen out of both those guys in the last couple weeks, the last couple months. They've been playing well, and they obviously are playing confidently and feel good." Meanwhile, veteran center Enes Kanter is enjoying his best stretch in a Celtics uniform, averaging 11.3 points and 12.2 rebounds off the bench over a six-game span.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Toronto is shooting 29.9 percent from 3-point range over its last three games.
2. Walker made 1-of-8 from 3-point range Friday after making at least five from beyond the arc in six of his previous seven games.
3. Boston has won five straight matchups at home.