Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors Prediction, NBA Odds
Boston opened as a 10-point favourite to win on the NBA odds with a total of 226.5.
Celtics vs. Raptors NBA Betting Odds
Note that Tuesday is the front end of a back-to-back for both teams with Boston in Detroit on Wednesday and Toronto at Indiana. Thus, both clubs could rest players on Tuesday. The Celtics have not been using big men Kristaps Porzingis or Al Horford in both ends of a back-to-back and certainly have rested All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown at times in one leg of them.
Boston really doesn’t have a ton of regular-season motivation as it will not finish with the East’s best record – Cleveland will – and almost is locked into the No. 2 seed in the conference. The only motivation is to stay healthy and be in sync once the playoffs start. The Celtics are -120 favourites to repeat in the East and are +215 to repeat as NBA champions, just behind Oklahoma City (+210).
This is the fourth and final meeting between the clubs with the Raptors trying for a surprise split after winning the last matchup 110-97 at home on Jan. 15 as 13-point underdogs and to snap a 10-game skid in the series. On New Year’s Eve, Toronto lost by a franchise-worst 54 points, 125-71, at Boston. The Raptors have covered the spread in five of the past 10 meetings overall.
Boston Celtics
Boston won its fifth game in a row (5-0 ATS) on Sunday in a possible Eastern Conference playoff preview, 118-105 over visiting New York. Jayston Tatum just missed a second straight game with a triple-double and fifth career as he had 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Jaylen Brown chipped in 24 points and eight rebounds. Derrick White stifled a possible Knicks comeback by making all three of his 3-point attempts during the fourth quarter, giving him 45 fourth-quarter threes on the season, good for fifth in the NBA. After a bit of a slump, White has now scored at least 13 points in 11 straight games and is averaging 17.7 points, 5.0 assists and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 49.6 per cent from the field and 44.6 per cent from deep in that span. He still might be the most underrated player in the NBA. During White’s 11-game run, Boston is 10-1 and each of the past five wins have been by double digits. The Celtics enter on a seven-game SU road winning streak as well. They are 26-3 on the road, an NBA-best .793 winning percentage. Boston has won 14 games by at least 20 points overall this season, most in the league.
Toronto Raptors
We projected the Raptors to beat the visiting Suns on Sunday with Phoenix in the second of a back-to-back, and Toronto indeed ended a two-game skid with a 127-109 victory. The Suns ran out of gas in the fourth quarter in being outscored 39-27. The Dinos had three players score exactly 23 points in starters RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley and reserve Chris Boucher, who added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Boucher has now led the Raptors in bench points in a team-high 23 contests this season. Scottie Barnes was terrific with 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists and a game-best plus-31 rating. Centre Jakob Poeltl missed his seventh straight game with a hip injury and remains day-to-day. Orlando Robinson got his second start in a row Sunday and had 10 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes. Trade acquisition PJ Tucker remains away from the club and likely will never suit up as he looks for a buyout. Toronto is 12-6 ATS in its past 18 games. It looks to tie the season series with Boston for the first time since 2021-22.
BOS
TOR