BOSTON — Nearly each time Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown stepped to the line on Friday night at TD Garden, he was met with MVP chants. The MVP candidate tallied 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in 36 minutes, contributing to the C’s 125-117 victory over the short-handed Toronto Raptors.
Despite not having his finest shooting night, hitting only 6 of his 16 shots, Brown excelled at the free-throw line. He converted 12 of his 13 attempts from the stripe and achieved a plus-minus of plus-17. The only Celtic with a better rating was forward Sam Hauser, who scored 19 points in 32 minutes, marking one of his standout performances this season.
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Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard topped all scorers with 27 points, while no Raptor exceeded 19 points. The Raptors — missing key players Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram — still managed to trim the Celtics’ 20-point lead to 6 with just over 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Jan 9, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) returns the ball against Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (5) in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
However, Brown, Pritchard, and Celtics guard Derrick White swiftly answered back, combining to score the last 13 points for the Green Team. Boston is currently 3-0 against Toronto this season and holds a 5-3 record against the top four teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics won’t have much time to rest. The 24-13 Celtics will face the 26-11 San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, which should be a homecoming for former Celtics champion Luke Kornet.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: The Celtics kept pace in the standings thanks to Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard
