Raptors set franchise record in brutal 54-point loss to Celtics

The Toronto Raptors set a new franchise record, and it’s not a good one, according to Esfandiar Baraheni of The Athletic on X. They lost on New Year’s Eve to the Boston Celtics by 54 points. It marks the worst loss in franchise history. After a close first half, the Celtics pulled away and showed their dominance. They outscored the Raptors 80-36 in the final two quarters. While Toronto is a rebuilding team and Boston is a contender, it’s rough, nonetheless.

However, this marks another bad stretch for the Canadian franchise. They’ve allowed 555 points through four games. It’s tied for the most points allowed in a four-game stretch since 1991. Still, the Celtics didn’t have an amazing performance on the offensive end. Both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were the only players with more than 20 points.

Still, it’s the Celtics’ depth that kills teams. That, and their defense. Usually, teams are elite on one side of the ball but Boston is that on both offense and defense. For instance, the Raptors shot 31% from the field and 25% from three. They also forced 21 Raptors turnovers on the night, compared to their 13.

Hopefully, the New Year can bring minimal embarrassment like Tuesday’s loss.

We will update this story with more details.