BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 26 points, Jayson Tatum had 23 points and 13 rebounds and the Boston Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 115-101 on Sunday.
Neemias Queta had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Payton Pritchard scored 17 points for the Celtics, who won their third straight to move closer to clinching second place in the Eastern Conference.
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Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown drives toward the basket as Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles, left, defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, right, tries to drive past Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) takes a shot at the basket as Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum celebrates after scoring in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles, left, and Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta vie for control of the ball in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Ja’Kobe Walter led Toronto with 16 points, and Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett each had 15.
Celtics center Nikola Vucevic returned after missing a month following surgery for a broken right ring finger. He looked a bit rusty, scoring just four points in 13 minutes with four rebounds.
Coming off consecutive games of putting up at least 43 points in the opening quarter, the Celtics looked a bit sluggish and were cold from long range early, missing 13 of their initial 16 shots from 3-point range. The teams were tied at 26 after one.
Fighting for a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference to avoid the play-in tournament, the Raptors were outscored 35-24 in the final quarter that was filled with their turnovers and breakdowns defensively. Walter even missed all three free throw attempts on one trip to the line.
Boston led by just three points entering the final quarter before going on a game-breaking 16-6 spree that was started by a long 3-pointer from Pritchard 18 seconds into the period.
The Raptors trailed by 10 with just under four minutes left before Boston scored 10 of the next 12 points. Brown had three baskets, including a pair a few seconds apart when he missed his free throw trying for a three-point play but grabbed the rebound and converted a layup.
Toronto won its previous game against Memphis by 32 points.
Raptors: Host Miami on Tuesday.
Celtics: Host Charlotte on Tuesday.
AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown drives toward the basket as Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles, left, defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, right, tries to drive past Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) takes a shot at the basket as Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum celebrates after scoring in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles, left, and Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta vie for control of the ball in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
LONDON (AP) — Leeds threw away a two-goal lead in second-half injury time and had a double scare in extra time before going on to beat West Ham in a penalty shootout and reach the FA Cup semifinals for the first time since 1987.
Mateus Fernandes and Axel Disasi struck in the 93rd and 96th minutes as West Ham leveled the score at 2-2 at London Stadium and forced extra time — where two goals for West Ham were chalked off for offside — before Leeds won the shootout 4-2.
In the shootout, West Ham debutant Finlay Herrick saved a penalty from Joel Piroe but Leeds eventually prevailed with Pascal Struijk scoring the winning penalty.
“At least I’m old enough that I was already born when there was the last semifinal for Leeds United in the FA Cup in the '80s," Leeds manager Daniel Farke said. “It was a crazy game."
The thousands of West Ham fans who had left early were trying, and failing, to get back in when Taty Castellanos thought he had put the Hammers ahead in the opening seconds of extra time after a bad error from Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri, only for VAR to rule Castellanos offside.
Then Jarrod Bowen crashed a shot against the crossbar, with Pablo offside when he rolled in the rebound.
The 20-year-old Herrick came on as a replacement for Alphonse Areola, who left the field to receive treatment with five minutes of extra time remaining.
Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin's penalty had previously built a 2-0 lead for Leeds in a classic FA Cup game between two relegation-threatened teams in the Premier League.
Leeds will play Chelsea in the semifinals in a repeat of the 1970 FA Cup final, which Chelsea won after a replay.
Manchester City and second-tier Southampton meet in the other semifinal match with games to be played April 25-26 at Wembley.
The draw was held after Leeds’ victory.
West Ham averted some controversy after it backed down on a decision, reportedly taken by the safety officer before the match, that a penalty shootout would not be taken in front of the end housing 9,000 Leeds fans because of “safety concerns.”
As it was, the coin toss went West Ham’s way.
Farke said: “You could imagine what I think about such a situation."
Stoppage time, extra time and the shootout were played in front of a half-empty stadium after the exodus of home fans.
“What I saw on the pitch was more important than anything,” West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo said.
“What I saw was a group of players, a group of boys that didn’t give up. This is the major lesson that we have to take from today.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke celebrates after the English FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match between West Ham United and Leeds United, in London, Sunday April 5, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Leeds United goalkeeper Lucas Perri celebrates saving West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen penalty in the shoot-out during the English FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match between West Ham United and Leeds United, in London, Sunday April 5, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)
West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola goes down injured before being replaced by substitute goalkeeper Finlay Herrick in extra-time during the English FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match between West Ham United and Leeds United, in London, Sunday April 5, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)
West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen, right, and Leeds United's Ethan Ampadu in action during the English FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match between West Ham United and Leeds United in London, Sunday April 5, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Leeds United's Dominic Calvert-Lewin celebrates scoring their side's second goal from a penalty during the English FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match between West Ham United and Leeds United in London, Sunday April 5, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)
West Ham United's Axel Disasi, center right, scores their side's second goal during their English FA Cup, quarter-final soccer match against Leeds United in London, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Leeds United's Dominic Calvert-Lewin, third right, and teammates celebrate in the penalty shoot-out during the English FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match between West Ham United and Leeds United, in London, Sunday April 5, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)
