Pritchard leads undermanned Celtics past Raptors

TORONTO – Payton Pritchard had a double-double with 33 points and 10 assists as the undermanned Boston Celtics topped the Toronto Raptors 112-96 on Saturday.

Pritchard added eight rebounds for Boston (17-11), while Derrick White added 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

The Celtics were without all-star forward Jaylen Brown, who was sick with an undisclosed illness.

Brandon Ingram scored 24 points and added seven assists as Toronto (17-12) had its modest two-game win streak snapped.

Scottie Barnes flirted with a double-double despite a slow start, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

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Sandro Mamukelashvili had a season-high 24 points, going 6-for-9 from three-point range in place of starting centre Jakob Poeltl.

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Poeltl was ruled out for the Raptors hours before tipoff with a sore lower back. Swingman RJ Barrett (sprained knee) of Mississauga, Ont., remains out.

TAKEAWAYS

Celtics: Boston took full advantage of Poeltl’s absence, outrebounding the Raptors 55-37 and getting 54 points in the paint to Toronto’s 32.

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Raptors: Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley both got off to slow starts, going a combined 3-for-16 on field-goal attempts in the first half. Barnes made a layup for his first points of the game with 2:21 before intermission. On the next possession he grabbed his own rebound for a dunk. Quickley drilled a three-pointer with 40.1 left in the half to give Toronto a 51-49 lead.

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KEY MOMENT

White drilled a 31-foot three-pointer to cap an 11-4 Celtics run to start the fourth and give Boston a 94-84 lead.

KEY STAT

Although Brown’s absence meant they didn’t put up quite as many three-point attempts as usual, the Celtics still went 12-for-39 (30.8 per cent) from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT

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Boston: Hosts the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

Toronto: Visits the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2025.