Boston has the superior record, but the Raptors are the home team in this matchup, so it figures to be very competitive. Toronto actually has a superior point-differential, which means they may have been unlucky in the games before the All-Star Break.
Don’t be surprised if it’s the Raptors who are very slight favorites in this matchup. If they are the underdogs, take advantage of the points.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
The Raptors are 33-24 straight up and 31-25-1 against the spread. They are 15-13-1 against the spread as the home team this season. Toronto has played in 42 games as the favorite and has covered in 22 of those. It is 7-5-1 against the spread as the underdog.
The Celtics are 37-20 straight up and 30-26-1 against the spread. They have been much better at covering on the road, with a record of 19-9-1 against the spread. That is certainly something to keep in mind for this matchup.
Boston is 21-19 against the spread as the favorite and has covered nine times and pushed once in 17 games as the underdog.
Matchup to Watch
Isaiah Thomas vs. Kyle Lowry -- Two of the best point guards in the East will face off in this one, and the one that gets the upper hand will give his team a big advantage.
Thomas has morphed into one of the NBA’s elite scorers, after being a sixth man a few years ago. It’s been a dramatic transformation and is a big reason why Boston has ascended to among the Eastern Conference’s elite.
He is averaging 29.9 points and 6.3 assists per game, shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three-point range. Lowry, though, is an elite defender and is tough to score on.
While Thomas will certainly get his points, if Lowry can make him shoot a low percentage it will be a big plus for the Raptors. Lowry is a talented offensive player in his own right. He is averaging 22.8 points per game and 6.9 assists per game.
Key Stat
4. That’s the number of games that separate these two teams in the Eastern Conference standings. The season is hitting its stretch run and the Raptors really need to play well down the stretch to make a run at catching the Celtics.
This head-to-head matchup is huge. If the Celtics can get five games ahead of Toronto, it makes it really tough for the Raptors to track them down. But a three-game deficit with so many games remaining isn’t that daunting.
The Raptors do not want to be the fourth seed because that would mean a possible second-round matchup with the Cavs.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Celtics have the better record, and many believe they are the biggest threat to the Cavs in the East. However, don’t count out the Raptors.
They made the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago and have nearly the same team back. While the results haven’t been what they have wanted so far, they have been somewhat unlucky.
These teams are very close in talent level, and the home court advantage should give the Raptors the edge. Take Toronto to get this victory.
NBA Odds: Raptors 110, Celtics 106
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