The Boston Celtics have closed the gap on the Toronto Raptors for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, suddenly making their showdown this week one of the most critical games in the NBA.
Boston would love to overtake Toronto for the top seed and home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference but has no room to spare. The Celtics must figure out a way to pull out the win on the road against a strong Raptors squad. Toronto will be the favored team in this matchup because of the home court advantage in NBA basketball spreads.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Air Canada Centre at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 4, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Celtics are 53-23 straight up and 47-27-2 against the spread on the season. Boston has been unbelievable as the underdog this season, covering in 17 of 20 attempts as the underdog, so bet against the Celtics at your own peril. Boston is 27-11 against the spread on the road this season so if the season-long pattern continues it should have a great shot at covering the spread.
The Raptors are 55-21 straight up and 40-36 against the spread on the year. Toronto has covered in half of its 38 games at home this season. The Raptors are 31-33 against the spread as the favorite on the year.
Scheduling Situation
Many teams that head to Toronto have very little chance of coming away with the victory, as the Raptors have the second-best home record in the NBA this season at 31-7. Only the Rockets have lost fewer games at home this season.
However, the Celtics have been dynamite on the road this year, going 28-10 in hostile environments, so Boston won't be intimidated by this matchup. Houston is the only team in the NBA with the superior road record.
It is ironic that playing well on the road once again would help give the Celtics a shot at claiming the home court advantage in the postseason. The Celtics have won four straight road games and would love to extend that to pull close to Toronto in the standings.
Key Stat
Six. That’s how many games in a row the Celtics have won coming into this week’s contests. They will look to continue that streak as they head to Milwaukee on Tuesday and travel to Toronto for this matchup on Wednesday.
Included in that winning streak is a 110-99 win over the Raptors on Saturday as well as victories over the Thunder and Trail Blazers. All came without star Kyrie Irving who is currently sidelined left knee injury.
The Celtics still have a chance to claim the top seed in the Eastern Conference as they sit two games back from Toronto with six games left to play. They should enter this stretch with a lot of momentum as well.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Boston is still alive, but look for the Raptors to take care of business in this game, which will go a long way in wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the East. Toronto is the better team and has the healthier personnel.
The Celtics are certainly a tough out, as they showed with the win over Toronto recently. However, the Raptors should be able to win this game at home. Even though Boston has been fantastic against the NBA basketball spread on the road this season, the choice is for the Raptors to cover the spread.
Take the “under” as this one could be a defensive battle in which Boston will struggle to score enough points to keep up.
NBA Odds: Raptors 103, Celtics 95
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