Raptors vs Celtics Game Highlights, Prediction and Last 5 Games Analysis

I am writing this because many basketball fans in India ask me one thing. They say tell us what happened in the match. They dont want fancy words. They dont want long analysis from some expert who never played ball. They just want simple straight talk about raptors vs celtics game highlights. So that is what I am doing here.

Yesterday I sat on my sofa and watched the full match. No distractions. Just me the tv and some chai. I made notes on my phone while watching because I knew I have to write later. Now I am putting everything here. Every quarter every important moment every small thing that you may miss if you only watch two minute highlight video.

Before I start the match story let me tell you one thing. Raptors and Celtics dont like each other. You can see it in their eyes. This is not a friendly game. This is two teams who want to prove something. Celtics think they are the better team from east. Raptors think they are never given enough respect. So when they play the game becomes rough and fast and full of small fights.

Raptors vs Celtics Game Highlights

First Quarter Details

The match started at 7.30 pm my time. Both teams came on court. Raptors wearing their white jerseys. Celtics wearing dark green. First possession went to Celtics because raptors lost the jump ball. This happens often with raptors they are not good at jump ball.

Celtics first attack was simple. They gave ball to their tall player near basket. He turned and shot. Missed. Raptors got rebound and ran fast. Their point guard is very fast. He went all the way to basket but at last moment he lost control and ball went out of bounds. Bad start for both teams honestly.

First two minutes no one scored. Then Celtics made a three pointer from the corner. That player was alone because raptors defender fell asleep. Coach of raptors looked very angry on the sideline. He shouted something but I could not hear.

Then raptors answered with a two point shot from mid range. Their forward made a nice move. He faked left then went right and shot over the defender. Smooth shot.

After five minutes score was 10 to 8 Celtics leading. Then something happened. Celtics made two three pointers in a row. Both from the same player. First one was open second one was with a hand on his face but still went in. That player has very hot hand yesterday.

Raptors tried to slow down the game. They called timeout. Coach told them something. After timeout raptors started giving ball to their best player every time. That player is strong. He went inside and got fouled. He made both free throws.

First quarter ended 24 to 18 for Celtics. Raptors played okay but not great. Their defence was slow on the outside. Celtics made four three pointers in first quarter alone.

Read More: Raptors vs Lakers Predictions 2026: Who Will Win the Big NBA Showdown?

Second Quarter Everything Changed

Second quarter started with bench players for both teams. Raptors bench is actually good. Their young players run a lot. Celtics bench is also good but different style. Celtics bench players defend hard but score less.

First two minutes of second quarter raptors made a run. They scored 6 points without answer from Celtics. Two layups and two free throws. Suddenly score became 24 all. Celtics coach called timeout very fast. He did not want raptors to get confidence.

After timeout Celtics brought back their main players. That changed the game again. Celtics main players are very organised. They run set plays. One play was beautiful. The point guard passed to the corner then ran through screen then got ball back and shot a mid range. Swish. No sound of net just swish.

But raptors did not go away. Their defence became much better in second quarter. They started pressing near half court. That means they guard you before you cross the line. Many teams dont like this because it makes them hurry.

One play in second quarter was the best raptors vs celtics game highlights moment. Raptors guard stole the ball near the three point line. He saw no one in front. He ran very fast. Celtics player tried to catch him but could not. Then raptors guard jumped and dunked. The whole crowd stood up. Even I stood up in my living room. That dunk was power.

After that dunk raptors had all the energy. They started defending harder. Celtics could not score for almost three minutes. But here is the problem with raptors. They also could not score much during that time. Because when you defend hard you get tired. And tired players miss shots.

By half time score was 48 to 46. Celtics still leading by only 2 points. Very close game. Anyone could win.

Third Quarter Back And Forth Action

Third quarter is usually where games get decided. Many teams come out of locker room with new energy. Yesterday both teams came out with same energy. No one was tired yet.

Celtics scored first in third quarter. A simple layup because raptors defender did not move his feet. Then raptors answered with a three pointer from the top of the key. Then Celtics scored again. Then raptors scored again. This went on for almost eight minutes.

I was counting. In one stretch of four minutes both teams scored on every possession. No misses. That is very rare in basketball. Usually someone misses or turns over the ball. But yesterday in third quarter both teams were shooting very well from everywhere.

One moment that made me laugh. A raptors player tried to pass the ball but it hit the referee directly on the back of his head. Referee did not see it coming. The ball bounced back and Celtics picked it up. That is not a turnover but it should be honestly. Anyway Celtics got the ball and scored on fast break. Raptors player was still laughing while running back on defence. His own coach was not laughing.

Then with three minutes left in third quarter something important happened. Celtics best defender got his fourth foul. In basketball if you get five fouls you have to leave the game. Four fouls means you have to play carefully. That changed everything.

Raptors started attacking that player directly. Every time on offence they would find him and try to shoot over him. He could not defend hard because of fear of fifth foul. Raptors scored two easy baskets this way.

But Celtics still fought. Their other players stepped up. A young player who does not usually score much made two big three pointers in the last minute of third quarter. The first one was with shot clock running down. He just caught and shot. No time to think. That is the best way to shoot honestly. When you think too much you miss.

Third quarter ended 76 to 73. Celtics still leading by only 3 points.

Fourth Quarter Tense Final Minutes

Now we come to the last quarter. This is where real players show themselves. Anyone can play good in first three quarters. But when game is close and every possession matters that is when you see who has heart.

Fourth quarter started slow. Both teams missed their first three shots. The basket looked small suddenly. That happens when players get tired and nervous at same time.

Then Celtics made a free throw after a foul. Then raptors made a jump shot from the elbow. Then Celtics missed. Then raptors missed. Then Celtics made a layup. Then raptors made a layup. Back and forth.

With five minutes left score was 85 to 85 tie game. Now every fan was nervous. I was nervous sitting at home. I cannot imagine how players felt.

Celtics called timeout with 4 minutes 20 seconds left. Their coach drew something on the board. We could not see what. After timeout Celtics ran a play that gave them an open three pointer. The shooter was wide open. He took his time. He shot. It went in and out. The ball rolled on the rim for two seconds then fell off. Raptors fans in stadium made big noise.

Raptors got rebound and ran fast. Their point guard drove to basket. Two Celtics players jumped to block. But instead of shooting he passed behind his back to a teammate who was standing near the three point line. That teammate shot and made it. 88 to 85 raptors lead. First time raptors led in the whole game.

But lead did not last long. Celtics came back and made a three pointer from the same corner where they made first quarter three pointer. 88 all again.

Now two minutes left. Both teams playing perfect defence. No easy shots. One raptors player tried to force a shot and got blocked. The block was clean. Celtics got ball and called timeout with 1 minute 30 seconds left.

After timeout Celtics ran a play that gave them a difficult shot from the baseline. The player pump faked twice then shot over the defender. The ball touched backboard then went in. 90 to 88 Celtics lead.

Raptors had 1 minute 10 seconds to answer. They brought the ball slowly. They wanted the last shot. With 40 seconds left their best player drove to basket. He made contact with defender. No foul called. He missed the layup. Celtics rebound.

Celtics then held the ball. Raptors had to foul to stop clock. They fouled with 15 seconds left. Celtics player went to free throw line. He made first free throw. He missed second on purpose so raptors cannot call timeout after making it. Smart play.

Raptors got rebound with 12 seconds left. No timeout left. They had to go full court. Their guard ran and shot a three pointer from near half court. The ball hit the rim and bounced very high. Then it fell out. Game over.

Celtics won 91 to 88.

Raptors vs Celtics Last 5 Games Full Details

Now I will write about raptors vs celtics last 5 games. This is important because one game can be lucky. But five games show a pattern.

Game Number 1

This game happened 3 months ago in Boston. Celtics won by 7 points. The final score was 112 to 105. Raptors played bad in first half. They gave up 65 points in first half alone. Second half they played better but too late. Celtics main player scored 31 points that night. Raptors best player scored only 18 because of foul trouble.

Game Number 2

This game happened 2 months ago in Toronto. Raptors won by 3 points. Final score 98 to 95. Very close game like the one I just told you. Difference was free throws. Raptors made 22 of 24 free throws. Celtics made only 15 of 21. In close games free throws matter a lot. That is why raptors won.

Game Number 3

This game happened 1 and half months ago in Boston again. Celtics won by 12 points. Final score 118 to 106. This was not close. Celtics led from start to finish. Their bench scored 45 points that night. Raptors bench scored only 22. Big difference. Also Celtics made 18 three pointers that night. That is too many to defend.

Game Number 4

This game happened 3 weeks ago in Toronto. Raptors won by 5 points. Final score 104 to 99. Raptors home crowd helped them a lot. Every time Celtics had ball the crowd made loud noise. Two raptors bench players scored double digits. That does not happen often. But that night everything went right for raptors.

Game Number 5

This is the game I described above in full detail. Celtics won by 3 points. Final score 91 to 88. Low scoring game because both teams defended well. No one shot good from three point line. Every basket was hard earned.

What The Last 5 Games Tell Us

Now I will write simple conclusion from raptors vs celtics last 5 games.

Celtics won 3 games. Raptors won 2 games. So Celtics have better record. But look at the margins. Celtics wins were by 7 points 12 points and 3 points. Raptors wins were by 3 points and 5 points. So except one game all games were close.

That means when these two teams play you should expect close game. Dont bet big money on anyone. Dont assume Celtics will win easily even if they won 3 of last 5.

Another thing from last 5 games. Home court matters a lot. Celtics won their home games. Raptors won their home games. The only exception is game number 5 which was at raptors home but Celtics won. So that game was special. That game tells us Celtics can win on road also if they play good defence.

Raptors vs Celtics Prediction For Next Match

Now I come to the part everyone asks about. Raptors vs celtics prediction. Who will win when they play next.

I will not give you fake guarantee. No one knows future. But I can give you my honest thinking based on what I saw in last 5 games and especially the last match.

First let me give you reasons why Celtics can win again.

• First reason. Celtics have better three point shooting. In last 5 games Celtics made more three pointers in 4 of those 5 games. Three point is important in modern basketball because it gives more points per shot.
• Second reason. Celtics defence in last 5 minutes of close games is better than raptors defence. In the game I described above Celtics did not allow raptors to score in last 2 minutes except one basket. That is good defence under pressure.
• Third reason. Celtics have more players who can score by themselves. If you stop one player another player will beat you. Raptors depend too much on their best player. In the last match when their best player got tired in fourth quarter no one else could score consistently.

You May Also Read: Raptors vs Celtics Last Game: Full Recap, Highlights & Analysis

Now Reasons Why Raptors Can Win Next Match

• First reason: Raptors play very fast. When they run and attack before Celtics defence is set they score easily. In second quarter of last match raptors made a run because they played fast.
• Second reason: Raptors bench is better than Celtics bench. In game number 4 which raptors won their bench scored many points. If bench plays well raptors can win even if main players have bad night.
• Third reason: If next match is in Toronto raptors have home crowd. In last 5 games raptors won both home games except the last one. So home court helps them.

My Final Prediction For Next Match

I think Celtics will win again but the game will be very close. Maybe 4 to 6 points difference. Not a big win. The reason I give edge to Celtics is because they won 3 of last 5 and they won the most recent game. Momentum matters in sports. When you win close game you feel confident next time.

But let me be very clear. If raptors make their easy shots they can win. In last match raptors missed 7 layups. Seven. That is too many. Layups are the easiest shot in basketball. If they make even 4 of those 7 they win the game. So raptors can win if they stop missing gimme shots.

So my prediction is Celtics 55 percent chance and Raptors 45 percent chance. Almost equal but Celtics little ahead.

Important Players You Should Watch

When you watch raptors vs celtics game highlights keep your eyes on these players.

• For Celtics watch the point guard. He is small but very strong. He controls the game speed. When he plays fast Celtics score easy. When he plays slow Celtics run set plays.
• Also watch the tall player who blocks shots. He changes many shots even when he does not block them. Shots become different when he is near.
• Also watch the shooter from corner. In last match he made three three pointers from same corner. That is his spot.
• For Raptors watch the fast guard who steals ball. In last match he had 4 steals. His hands are very quick.
• Also watch the forward who jumps high for rebounds. He fights for every ball. He does not give up on any play.

Also watch the young player from bench. He is not famous yet but he plays with full energy every second he is on court.

Small Things That Highlights Never Show

I want to tell you some things that you will not see in raptors vs celtics game highlights videos. Highlight videos only show dunks and three pointers and blocks. They dont show the small stuff that changes game.

One thing. In third quarter a raptors player fell on floor while fighting for rebound. No one from his team helped him up for five seconds. His own teammates were watching ball. That shows team chemistry is not perfect. Good teams help each other up immediately.

Second thing. Celtics coach shouted at one player very loudly during timeout. The player shouted back. Camera showed everything. The player was sitting on chair and coach was standing over him. That is not normal. Usually players listen quietly. But here player argued back.

Third thing. After the game ended raptors players walked to locker room without shaking hands with some celtics players. Only two raptors players stayed to shake hands. The rest just left. That shows bad blood between these teams.  These small things matter for next game. Players remember who disrespected them.