Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics NBA Betting Preview & Odds
Eastern Conference hoops and we will see the Toronto Raptors take on the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Local TV will carry this game, which has a start time of 7:30 pm EST.
Current betting odds for this game have the have the Celtics listed as 2.5 point favorites, while the total has been set at 209.5..
Head-To-Head This Year: Toronto won the first matchup by a score of 113-105 as 2 point road dogs… Toronto won the 2nd matchup 115-109 as a 3.5 home favorite… Toronto won the 3rd matchup 105-91 as a 1.5 point home favorite.
The Toronto Raptors excellent season continues as they have now won 8 of their last 9 games and are currently at 48-21 overall, which is the 2nd best record in the East. The Raptors lead the Atlantic Division 8 games over the Celtics, which is a very comfortable lead with just a handful of games left. The Raptors have have been a decent team on the road, where they are 19-13 on the year. The Raptors have 7 players that average at least 8.5 ppg and are led by Demar DeRozan, who averages 23.8 ppg on the year, which is top 10 in the league. Leading the team in rebounding is Jonas Valanciunas at 9.0 rpg, while also placing 3rd on the team in scoring. Rounding out the double digit scorers is Kyle Lowry at 21.9 and Demarre Carroll at 11.7 ppg, but he has been out for a while and should return to the team in about two weeks Toronto comes in ranked 12th in the league in scoring, putting up 103.0 ppg, while also ranking 13th in shooting overall, 5th from long range and 11th from the charity stripe. The defensive numbers are solid as they come in ranked 5th in points allowed, giving up just 98.3 ppg, while also ranking 12th defensive FG% overall, but they do struggle at defending the three-ball, where they rank 28th. On the road the Raptors have averaged 101.0 ppg on 45.0% shooting, while allowing 98.3 ppg on 45.1% shooting.
Trends: Toronto is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 vs. the Atlantic and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game, but just 3-9-1 ATS in the last 13 meetings in Boston. The Over is 9-3 in their last 12 road games vs. a team with a winning home record, while the Under is 4-0 in their last 4 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game
The Boston Celtics have had a nice year overall, but they have have struggled some of late as they have won just 2 of their last 6 games and one of the games they won was vs the Sixers, which shouldn’t even count these days. Boston is 41-30 overall, including 21-12 at home and if the playoffs started today they would have the 5th seed in the East. They will end up in the playoffs this year. The Celts have 7 players that average at least 9.4 ppg, but they are missing Jae Crowder (14.4 ppg) for at least another week. Leading the team in scoring is Isaiah Thomas at 22.1 ppg, while Avery Bradley is 2nd at 15.1 ppg. Jared Sullinger is the team’s leading rebounder at 8.6 rpg and is 4th in scoring at 10.6 ppg. Kelly Olynyk is the team’s best long range threat at v40.4% from beyond the arc and also averages 10.1 ppg,. While Evan Turner rounds out the double digit scorers at 10.1 ppg as well. Boston checks in at 5th in the league in scoring, putting up 106.0 ppg, but they are not a good shooting team as they rank 23rd in shooting overall and 26th from long range. They have been solid at the charity stripe, where they are 5th. The defensive numbers are solid as they come in ranked 13th in points allowed, giving up 102.3 ppg, while also ranking 5th defensive FG% overall and 2nd from long range. At home the Celtics have averaged 106.4 ppg on 43.5% shooting, while allowing 100.9 ppg on 45.1% shooting.
Trends: The Celtics are 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600 and 12-5 ATS in their last 17 home games, but just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record. The Over is 5-1 in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record, while the Under is 7-2 in their last 9 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game
http://www.sportswatchmonitor.com
