PREVIEW: The Toronto Raptors (23-15) will look to build on a three-game winning run when hitting the road against the Boston Celtics (23-13) on Friday, January 9, 2026 at TD Garden. Boston's 114-110 home loss to Denver on Wednesday night, coupled with Toronto's 97-96 victory over Charlotte, moved the Raptors within one game of the Celtics, who occupy third place in the Eastern Conference, and Toronto has won five of its last six games. Toronto boasts elite perimeter defense, ranking third in preventing low-quality three-point attempts, while also excelling as the league's third-best passing team. The Celtics counter with even sharper three-point defense at second-ranked, plus elite rim efficiency at second and a league-leading spacing advantage on offense at second-ranked. The Celtics enter Friday's matchup having won eight of their last 10 games despite the loss ending a four-game winning streak. The Raptors showed resilience against Charlotte by escaping with a narrow win thanks to Immanuel Quickley's game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, despite shooting just 41 percent from the field overall. The Raptors have ruled out Jakob Poeltl again with Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram both listed as questionable, while the Celtics are still missing Jayson Tatum. The Celtics head into their game as an 8.5-point favorite with a point total of 224.5.