The Toronto Raptors are neck and neck with the Milwaukee Bucks for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The trade of DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard has proven to be a success. Just as important first year head coach Nick Nurse has proven to be up to the task of maintaining the Raptors recent standard of excellence. The Boston Celtics have been well coached by Brad Stevens for several years now. Stevens led them to the Eastern Conference finals last year despite missing top offensive threat Kyrie Irving. Now with Irving back in the fold Boston is thinking Finals!
Boston Celtics Vs. Toronto Raptors
Date and Time: Tuesday, February 26, 2019, 8 p.m. ET
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
NBA Odds at BookMaker.eu: Check Back Later
Celtics vs. Raptors TV coverage: TNT
Odds Analysis
This matchup should draw a fairly even amount of betting action for both sides. While the Celtics are the more public of the two teams, gamblers have come to respect Toronto’s ability. Live betting could flow towards the underdog in a matchup of comparable top contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Current Form
The Boston Celtics have been an inconsistent betting value in recent games with three covers in their last seven outings. Boston has gone over the total in four of their last six games overall. As a result, the Celtics now stand at 37-23 straight up, 31-29 against the spread, and 35-25 over the total. The Celtics are battling the Philadelphia 76ers for second place in the Atlantic Division behind the Toronto Raptors.
In the same way the Raptors have also struggled to get the money in recent games. In fact, Toronto has lost seven of their last 10 games against the spread with five of their last eight outings going under the total. The Atlantic Division leading Raps now stand at 44-16 straight up, 26-34 against the spread, and 33-27 over the total.
Matchup Metrics
Toronto has NBA rankings of sixth for scoring offense and 10th for points allowed. The Raptors are the fifth best free throw shooting team in the Association.
Boston ranks 12th in the NBA for scoring offense and fifth for points allowed. The Celtics rank sixth best for three-point shooting, and third for free throws. Boston is the second-best defensive team in the Association for shooting percentage allowed.
Top Players
Boston is led by point guard Kyrie Irving, who is back in full form after missing the playoffs last spring. Irving leads the Celtics with 23.8 points and 6.9 assists per game.
For Toronto forward Kawhi Leonard has made fans get over the departure of DeMar DeRozan. Leonard has 26.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
ATS Numbers
Boston has seen a recent uptick in their effectiveness as a road dog. The Celtics have covered four in a row getting points away from home. Three of their last five in that role have gone under the total. Balanced against that is the drop-in value by Toronto as a home chalk. The Raptors have paid in just three of their last eight games laying points at Scotiabank Arena.
Head to Head
The home team has utterly dominated this head to head series with eight consecutive covers. Four of the last five between Boston and Toronto have gone over the total. And at Scotiabank Arena the Raptors have covered the spread in seven consecutive games against the Celtics with three of the last four between these teams at TO going under the total.
Free NBA Betting Odds Pick
With both teams struggling against the board recently the head to head numbers take precedent. As was mentioned earlier the home team has had full control of the cashier’s cage in this series. Look for Leonard and the Raptors to show who’s boss of the Atlantic!
NBA Betting Odds Pick: Toronto Raptors
NBA Betting Odds Score Prediction: Raptors 104, Celtics 98
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