Key Moment

The Celtics made several clutch plays down the stretch Wednesday night to pull out a 98-93 win in Toronto. But it was a second-quarter surge that made their comeback possible in the first place.

Boston trailed by 22 points, 59-37, midway through the second quarter before suddenly flipping the momentum with a 16-0 run in a span of just two minutes and 30 seconds.

Jayson Tatum sparked the rally by scoring the first 11 points himself, but the biggest blow came on a rare seven-point possession that included 3-pointers from both Tatum and Baylor Scheierman.

Yes, seven points. One possession.

It unfolded when Collin Murray-Boyles committed a flagrant foul on Tatum as the Celtics star was knocking down a 3-pointer. Tatum sank the ensuing free throw, and Boston retained possession. Just 12 seconds later, Tatum found Scheierman for another triple, and suddenly the Celtics were back within eight.

The comeback was officially complete at the 7:09 mark of the third quarter, when Boston took its first lead since the opening minutes.

From there, the two teams traded blows all the way to the finish.

Tatum scored seven clutch points down the stretch, including the go-ahead free throw with 25 seconds remaining. Neemias Queta followed with two more from the charity stripe before Sam Hauser sealed the victory with a steal on Toronto’s next possession.

Key Player

Jayson Tatum led all players in points and assists Wednesday night, but perhaps the most impressive number of the game belonged to Neemias Queta.

Plus-27.

That was Queta’s plus/minus rating in a game the Celtics won by just five points.

Boston outscored Toronto by 27 points with its starting center on the floor. Without him, the Celtics were outscored by 22.

The veteran big man was a force defensively, racking up three blocks and a steal while pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds. He also contributed 11 points, including a first-quarter 3-pointer and a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds to help secure the win.

Queta may not have put up the scoring numbers that some of his teammates did, but his fingerprints were all over this victory. He protected the rim, controlled the glass, and delivered when Boston needed him most, helping hold the Raptors to just 55 points over the final three quarters.

Box Score Nuggets

Key Quote

“Trying to get back to my old self. Trying to get back in flow and rhythm, and that’s what I used to do. I worked my butt off to get back healthy, so try and get back.”

— Jayson Tatum on playing both nights of a back-to-back.