Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics Prediction, NBA Odds
It’s going to be a very unusual weekend in the NBA because so many teams are tanking to win the draft lottery, while some teams headed to the playoffs might have nothing to play for if their seeding is locked in.
Raptors vs. Celtics NBA Betting Odds
This concludes the season series between Toronto and Boston, with the Celtics leading 3-0, but a first-round playoff matchup is possible as the C’s will finish second in the East and the Raptors get through the play-in tournament and have the right seed to face No. 2 Boston instead of No. 1 Milwaukee.
The Raptors are 4-2 in the second game of one of these baseball-type two-game series held in the same city. They just finished such a series Tuesday in sweeping a set in Charlotte. Toronto is 2-8 in its past 10 vs. Boston overall and 3-7 against the spread. The total has gone under all three this season.
Toronto Raptors
Toronto’s two-game winning streak was snapped Wednesday in a 97-93 loss in Boston – only the third Raptors game this year where both teams were held under 100. Pascal Siakam had 28 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, and Scottie Barnes added 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Gary Trent Jr. returned from injury but was scoreless in 16 minutes off the bench. Coach Nick Nurse used an unusual starting lineup where Fred VanVleet was the lone true guard. FVV was a brutal 2-for-14 from the field. It’s looking like Toronto will finish ninth in the East (still possible to finish eighth) and host the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the play-in tournament as the Bulls are locked into 10th. The winner of that would face the loser of Atlanta and Miami for the eighth seed and the right to face Milwaukee in Round 1.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics were without All-Star Jayson Tatum, reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and Al Horford on Wednesday but beat Toronto anyways to clinch the No. 2 seed in the East and thus would face (most likely) the Heat-Hawks play-in tournament game winner in Round 1 of the playoffs. Jaylen Brown had 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists on Wednesday, and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Malcolm Brogdon had 29 points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench. Brogdon is the only player in the NBA to rank among the top three in scoring, rebounding, and assisting among full-time reserves. No Celtic has won Sixth Man of the Year since Bill Walton in 1986. It’s not clear who may or may not play here, but there’s little incentive for the C’s to play their starters much if at all.
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