{"id":700798,"date":"2026-04-06T04:22:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T04:22:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/700798\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T04:22:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T04:22:29","slug":"celtics-overcome-18-turnovers-to-rout-raptors-in-possible-playoff-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/700798\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics overcome 18 turnovers to rout Raptors in possible playoff preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Midway through the third quarter of the Celtics\u2019 115-101 win<\/a> against the Raptors on Sunday, Jaylen Brown lofted an alley-oop pass to center Nikola Vucevic<\/a>, who had little trouble establishing position against a smaller defender.<\/p>\n

But as Vucevic jumped to complete the simple layup, he left the ball short, and it tumbled to the floor. Unfazed, Vucevic chased down the rebound and later converted a putback to complete the possession.<\/p>\n

Vucevic, acquired from the Bulls in February, returned Sunday after missing one month with a broken right ring finger, giving the Celtics a fully healthy roster for the first time this season. He looked rusty and tentative at times, but he was encouraged by how he felt, and the fact that he still has two weeks to develop comfort and chemistry before the playoffs arrive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt pretty good, pretty comfortable in the flow of the offense, defense, things like that,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it wasn\u2019t perfect. There were mistakes, but I felt pretty good. And so I think just try to be me, use my skillset [and] whatever I can to help the team within what we\u2019re trying to run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get Starting Point<\/p>\n

A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/p>\n

The center finished with 4 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes, and the Celtics were outscored by 14 points while he was on the floor. It was a notable deficit in a 14-point win, but it did not concern the Celtics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to have him back,\u201d forward Jaylen Brown<\/a> said. \u201cHe looks good so far, but we\u2019ve just got to keep building toward the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the other 35 minutes, of course, the Celtics walloped the Raptors by 28 points using a formula that has been unfamiliar during Joe Mazzulla\u2019s four years as coach. The Celtics made just 8 of 28 3-pointers but poured in 76 points in the paint.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn times that our three-ball is not falling, we\u2019ve got to find other ways to win,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIn the past that\u2019s probably been one of our critiques.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CelticsCeltics center Nikola Vucevic returned after missing a month with a broken finger, scoring 4 points in 13 minutes.Finn Gomez\/For the Globe<\/p>\n

Center Neemias Queta<\/a>, who has played well all season but has been a revelation recently, led the charge near the rim. He made 9 of 10 shots and had 18 points and seven rebounds.<\/p>\n

Afterward, Brown said Queta should be a favorite to win the NBA\u2019s Most Improved Player award. When asked about that possibility later, Queta, whose voice rarely rises above a whisper, acknowledged that the honor has been on his mind since the start of the season, before the rest of the basketball world was aware of his looming ascension.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think about it all the time,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like I made a good case for it, but that\u2019s stuff that we can\u2019t control. At the end of the day, I\u2019m just helping the team win. And that\u2019s my main goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown had 26 points to lead the Celtics, and Jayson Tatum<\/a> added 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists. Fifteen of the duo\u2019s 18 field goals were two-pointers. The Celtics won easily despite committing 18 turnovers and struggling from long range.<\/p>\n

With the win, the second-place Celtics (53-25) stretched their lead over the third-place Knicks to three games in the Eastern Conference with just four remaining. The teams will meet in New York on Thursday, but by then that matchup could be irrelevant for Boston\u2019s seeding purposes.<\/p>\n

The Celtics led, 22-15, when Vucevic checked in to a warm ovation with 4:57 left in the first quarter. He threw a couple of bad passes, committed a pair of fouls, and missed both of his shot attempts. The Raptors outscored the Celtics by 15 during his eight-minute stint, flipping that 7-point deficit into a 38-30 lead.<\/p>\n

Vucevic checked out with 8:43 left, and the Celtics\u2019 domination resumed. Two putbacks by Queta stabilized Boston, and the Raptors went nearly five minutes without a point.<\/p>\n

Most of Queta\u2019s offensive work transpires at the rim, but with 1:31 left he showed off some elegant footwork and drained an 8-foot jump hook that helped the Celtics take a 54-46 lead to the break.<\/p>\n

The Celtics started the fourth quarter with an 80-77 lead. Then Payton Pritchard, who had just 6 points over the first three quarters, seized control. Over the first three minutes, he hit a 3-pointer, found Vucevic for a layup, and added two more layups of his own, helping Boston extend its lead to 96-83, its largest.<\/p>\n

The Raptors made a final push, with back-to-back Brandon Ingram baskets slicing the deficit to 98-91. But Queta soared in for a dunk after a Tatum miss, sparking a 15-4 surge that put away Toronto.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a privilege to watch [Queta\u2019s] growth from the start of the season to where he\u2019s at now,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIt\u2019s like night and day almost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach<\/a>.<\/p>\n