Two teams battling for second place in the Eastern Conference meet on Wednesday, as the Boston Celtics visit the Toronto Raptors on ESPN. The Raptors are dealing with some major injuries so they are not at full strength and it would not be a shock to see them listed as a home underdog in this contest. Toronto is without leading scorer Pascal Siakam in addition to being without Marc Gasol and Normal Powell. Let’s look at the matchup for Wednesday and NBA picks.
This NBA regular season game between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors will be held at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 12:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 25, 2019. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Injury Update
The Raptors face a difficult time without Siakam and Gasol. Siakam is the leading scorer averaging 25.1 points per game. He injured his groin in a loss against Detroit and the team said he is out indefinitely. Gasol hurt his hamstring in the same game and he is also out indefinitely. The team also lost Norman Powell to a shoulder injury and the team is listing him as out indefinitely as well. Powell is another big loss, as he is averaging 14.4 points per game this season. Toronto is already without Stanley Johnson with a groin injury. The Raptors will be counting on players like Malcolm Miller, Patrick McCaw and Chris Boucher to step up with so many starters out of the lineup.
Boston will be without Robert Williams and Vincent Poirier. Williams has a hip injury, while Poirier is recovering from finger surgery. The Celtics are listing Marcus Smart as questionable for this game on Wednesday. Gordon Hayward seems to be an injury waiting to happen, so his status is never a sure thing.
Team Notes
The Celtics are coming off a game at home against Charlotte on Sunday. The Celtics are just 8-6 on the road this season. They are averaging about 111 points per game and giving up about 104 per contest.
The Raptors are in a more difficult spot, as this will be their third game in four days, as they were home against Dallas on Sunday and then at Indiana on Monday before having Tuesday off. Toronto is averaging about 112 points per game and giving up 106 per contest.
Key Numbers
These teams have split their last ten games, with five games going over the total and five going under. They played earlier this season with Boston winning 112-106 at home. The Celtics were a 2.5-point favorite with the total at 213.5. The Raptors have dominated the Celtics in Toronto, winning 9 of the last 10, including the last eight. Six of the last ten in Toronto have gone under the total.
NBA Pick
Almost everything is in favor of the Celtics in this game. They have the edge in terms of the schedule and Toronto is dealing with a number of major injuries. The only thing in Toronto’s favor is their dominance of Boston at home. Normally I would be leery of going against a long streak, but Toronto is in such bad shape without some of their top players that I just can’t see them getting this win, even at home. The Celtics simply look like the better team right now and I don’t think Toronto can match up without Siakam, Gasol and Powell. I will take the Celtics to get the road win on Wednesday afternoon.
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