Celtics vs. Raptors: Free live stream, TV, how to watch

The Boston Celtics are seeking their second straight preseason win as they host the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden on Wednesday night. The Celtics claimed a resounding victory over the Hornets in Sunday, the team’s first game under interim head coach Joe Mazzulla. The Celtics are expected to play their regulars for the matchup against a Raptors roster that picked up a blowout win of their own over the Utah Jazz in the preseason opener over the weekend.

How to Watch Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors (Preseason)

What TV channel is the game on? What time will it start? Wednesday’s game begins at 7:30 p.m. at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Boston in New England.

Information about the live stream: NBC Sports | noose | fuboTV – If you have cable and live in New England, you can use your login credentials to watch the game through NBC Sports. If you don’t have cable, you can stream the game to smart TVs and streaming devices via Sling and fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

More NBA coverage via Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Simmons streaked behind defense and caught a pass in transition which he dunked. About a minute later, he fired a cross-court pass at a Brooklyn Nets teammate for a 3-pointer.

Those were the kinds of plays the Philadelphia 76ers had seen many times before.

Finally, on Monday, Simmons made them for another team.

Simmons played his former club in his first NBA game since June 2021, joining a slew of big names returning to basketball.

“I’m grateful to be able to step onto that floor, step onto an NBA floor again,” Simmons said. “So I had a lot of fun out there.”

Kawhi Leonard also returned for the Los Angeles Clippers, as did Jamal Murray for the Denver Nuggets after they both sat out last season to recover from surgery for torn cruciate ligaments.

“539 days later… AT THIS TIME!!” Murray wrote on Twitter.

“It’s been good, all the hard work that I’ve put in for whatever, 14, 16 months just to be able to test that against NBA talent was good,” Leonard said after the win the Clippers 102-97 against Portland. “Just being out there with the guys and talking, I missed it. It was a great experience for me.”

That’s undoubtedly how their teams felt after expecting to be title contenders last season, only to have those hopes dashed by injuries last season. Paul George also missed a crucial time for the Clippers, and Michael Porter Jr. was out for all but nine games for the Nuggets.

They all played Monday, along with Damian Lillard, who returned to Portland after missing the last 47 games last season when the Clippers and Trail Blazers met in a preseason game.

“As a fan of the game, Kawhi’s return is great for basketball, Jamal Murray’s return is great for basketball,” said the Nets’ Kevin Durant. “All the guys who are out injured and able to play again, it’s a great feeling just to see them out there.”

Simmons hoped he was close to playing last February after being traded to the Nets in a deal spearheaded by James Harden. Simmons had cited psychological reasons for seeking a trade with the 76ers after a disappointing postseason when he took much of the criticism after the Eastern Conference No. 1 was ousted by Atlanta in the second round.

But a herniated disc prevented him from making a late-season debut and forced him to seek off-season surgery.

Now fully cleared, Simmons was in the starting lineup and finished the game with six points, five assists and four rebounds in 19 minutes. He walked out weak from Philadelphia, with the last memory of the No. 1 pick’s time there in 2016 when he missed a layup along the stretch of the Game 7 loss to the Hawks. But he looked confident pushing the ball off the post in transition or make-up play – but missed his only two free throws.

Simmons said he thought he was going to get nervous but didn’t. Durant recalled feeling scared when he returned after missing the 2019-20 season following Achilles tendon surgery.

“You wonder how your lungs are going to feel when you’re playing in an organized game because playing pickups and training is different than playing in a game,” Durant said. “So you just want to see where your legs are on the jump shot. So when you’re gone for a year, a lot of fear comes back. I know I did it.”

In Seattle, a bevy of big names made their preseason debut to a full house in only the second preseason game between NBA teams in the Emerald City since the SuperSonics departed for Oklahoma City.

While there were Clippers and Blazer fans, the eye-catching color was overwhelmingly green and gold, in the constant hope that the Sonics will one day return.

The fans who showed up were treated to Leonard’s first action since his knee injury during the 2021 Western Conference semifinals, just days before Simmons.

Leonard looked good, repelling his first shot 15 seconds into the game and scoring 11 points in 16 minutes in the first half. John Wall also made his debut with the Clippers after the five-time All-Star did not play last season. Wall scored five points in 11 minutes and George added 12 points in 16 minutes. All three only played the first half.

Lillard played into the second half and had 16 points in 23 minutes.

It turned out that the kings of Seattle basketball, including Lenny Wilkens, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Jamal Crawford, George Karl, Detlef Schrempf, Sam Perkins, and many others associated with the city’s basketball hoop history, were there were. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer grabbed the mic before tipoff and thanked his hometown for showing up.

“I’ve watched thousands of basketball games in Seattle — CYO, little kids, AAU, pro, college, you name it. So if this is a basketball town, dammit, let’s hear it!” Ballmer yelled just before tipoff, drawing huge cheers from the crowd.

Murray’s absence from Denver was even longer after tearing his cruciate ligament in April 2021 and being unable to repeat the brilliant postseason he had leading the Nuggets to the 2020 West Finals at Walt Disney World .

Murray scored 10 points in 15 minutes for the Nuggets in their loss to Oklahoma City.

“These long-term injuries are tough and dark,” said Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault. “These guys don’t have long periods of time to play basketball, they can’t play until they’re 50. It’s tough and requires a lot of dedication and work. Progress, especially early on, is almost invisible. You are not burdened with these types of injuries for a long time. I’m definitely happy for him and wish him all the best to stay healthy. He’s a really good player and your team will benefit from having him back.”