Heading into the season, the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics were thought to be strong contenders to battle for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. That’s held true for the Raptors as they hold the best record in the NBA and have a 1.5-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks for top spot in the East entering play Tuesday, but the Celtics haven’t quite lived up to their billing. Boston sits fifth in the conference at 25-18 and are in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

All eyes will be on TD Garden Wednesday as the Raptors visit the Celtics in a battle of two teams trending in opposite directions. As they prepare for the showdown, TSN.ca takes a look back at the two meetings between the clubs this season.

Catch the game LIVE Wednesday on TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, streaming on TSN Direct or listen on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

 

Oct. 19 – Kawhi leads the way

Result: Raptors 113, Celtics 101

 

Two days after the Raptors kicked off the Kawhi Leonard era with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opener, Toronto was back at it against the Celtics at Scotiabank Arena.

With Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward back healthy alongside a young core featuring Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier, the Celts were a popular preseason pick to reach the NBA Finals. Head coach Nick Nurse called it an important early-season matchup given the lofty expectations of both clubs. There was also intrigue to see how Leonard would respond after playing 37 minutes in the opener following an injury-plagued season that saw him appear in just nine contests for the San Antonio Spurs.

Leonard put those questions to rest as he led the way with 31 points and 10 rebounds in a 113-101 Raptors victory. Toronto bounced back from a halftime deficit thanks to 15 points in the third from Leonard, who posted his second straight double-double.

“Tonight [Leonard] played extremely hard,” Kyle Lowry said after the game. “He was really aggressive. That’s the kind of thing we’re going to need for the whole season.”

“No matter who Kawhi was against, Kawhi was doing well,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said.

 

Nov. 16 – Irving takes over late

Result: Celtics 123, Raptors 116 (OT)

 

Irving scored 11 consecutive points for the Celtics in the fourth quarter as the two teams sat tied at the end of regulation. In the extra frame, Irving scored or assisted on every basket to finish with 43 points and 11 assists.

It was the first time Irving scored 40 or more points with 10-plus assists and the Celtics needed every one of them as they pulled out a 123-116 win in overtime. He was the first Celtic to tally those totals since Antoine Walker in 2001.

“Man, he made some shots tonight where you’re just like, ‘wow.’  You catch yourself being a fan. When he gets into that mode, the whole arena knew where we were going and so did the Raptors. They just couldn’t stop him,” Hayward said.

The Raps led by eight early in the fourth quarter and by four with 90 seconds left. After a pair of free throws tied the game from Hayward, Leonard had a chance to win it at the end of regulation but his game-winning attempt clanked off the rim.

“The main thing is we’re going to hold it until the very last shot so that nothing bad happens and they can’t get a rebound and call a timeout,” Nurse said.

 

Last 6 Raptors/Celtics matchups

 
Date Result TOR FG% TOR pts leader BOS FG% BOS pts leader
Nov. 16, 2018 123-116 BOS 43.3% K. Leonard, 31 52.80% K. Irving, 43
Oct. 19, 2018 113-101 TOR 46.7% K. Leonard, 31 40.40% K. Irving, 21
Apr. 4, 2018 96-78 TOR 43.4% D. DeRozan, 16 33.30% M. Morris, 21
Mar. 31, 2018 110-99 BOS 46.3% D. DeRozan, 32 45.40% M. Morris, 25
Feb. 6, 2018 111-91 TOR 50.0% K. Lowry, 23 39.70% K. Irving, 17
Nov. 12, 2017 95-94 BOS 46.3% D. DeRozan, 24 40.20% A. Horford, 21
 

 

This time around

The Raptors edged out a 140-138 win in Washington over the Wizards on Sunday but needed double overtime to do it. Five different Raptors played more than 40 minutes, so it’s a good thing for Toronto they had some time off before Wednesday’s matchup.

For the Celtics, frustration seemed to set in over the weekend as Irving said the Celtics’ young players “don’t know what it takes to be a championship level team” following Saturday’s loss to the Orlando Magic.

Irving clarified his comments on Monday and vowed to “never question my teammates in public like that ever again.”

Following Wednesday’s matchup, the two teams will meet again for the final time this season on Feb. 26. Boston is 53-38 against the Raptors all-time.