Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics Prediction and Betting Odds March 28
Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics betting preview for Monday, March 28. At the time of posting, Toronto has opened as a 4.5-point home favorite over the visiting Celtics, with the total sitting at 212 points.
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| Monday, March 28 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Toronto Raptors -4.5 vs Boston Celtics |
| Total: | 212 Points |
| Game Time: | 7:40pm ET / 4:40pm PT |
| Arena: | Scotiabank Arena in Toronto |
| TV: | TSN |
Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics Analysis
The Boston Celtics travel to Toronto for an Eastern Conference clash with the Raptors on Monday evening. The Raptors are coming off their largest margin of victory this season with a 131-91 beat down of the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics had tremendous win themselves, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 134-112 at home yesterday.
The Raps will be looking to split the season series after splitting games in Boston and losing the first meeting in Toronto. All three head-to-head meetings have been relatively low scoring with Boston winning 104-88 at home and 109-97 in Toronto and the Raptors winning 115-83.
Celtics In The Zone
The Boston Celtics are on fire as they dismantled the Minnesota Timberwolves by 22 points yesterday, just after throttling the Utah Jazz 125-97 in previous game. Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celts with 34 points, with Jaylen Brown scoring 31 points of his own. Marcus Smart has been doing a great job setting up his teammates with 20 assists in his last two games.
Boston has now won six straight games, vaulting into first place in the Eastern Conference. Coming into February they were only two games above .500 and held the ninth seed. Since then they have been winning at blistering pace propelling up the standings.
The Celtics have done it with defense as they continue to be the No. 1 unit in the league only allowing 103.9 points a game. On the season, they are middle of the pack in scoring. However the offense has been humming as well recently scoring just shy of 120 points a game over their last ten games.
Robert Williams has already been ruled out for this game and Al Horford is day-to-day. The big news here is the Jayson Tatum hinted he may sit this one out, with it being the second game of a back-to-back with travel. I could see the Celtics going with a bench game as they will already be without multiple players and have a critical matchup with the Miami Heat on tap for Wednesday.
Raptors Roaring into 6th Seed
The Toronto Raptors have been in quite a groove themselves, winning eight of their last ten games including each of their last two. The Raps secured a 40-point victory over the Indiana Pacers in a delayed game after a fire scare at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Pascal Siakam led his team with 23 points in front of an empty arena after it was evacuated. Fred VanVleet missed two games earlier this month with a knee injury and didn’t return after the restart.
The Raptors have now passed the Cleveland Cavaliers for the coveted 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. VanVleet will remain a day-to-day question mark, while Gary Trent Jr and Malachi Flynn has already been ruled out for this contest.
The Raptors own the No. 9-ranked scoring defense on the season, but have been a top-three defense right alongside Boston over their last ten games. Offensively they remain middle of the pack both on the season and of late.
Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics Prediction
This is a matchup of two teams with numerous similarities, as well as two of hottest squads in the NBA. They are two of best defensive teams in the league on the season and of late, while ranking 24th and 26th in pace over their last ten games.
It feels like Tatum tipped the Celtics’ hand and at least he, Robert Williams III and Al Horford will miss this game. If they all sit, why not Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, especially on a back-to-back situation with travel. The Raptors have question marks of their own surrounding VanVleet. This makes it tremendously tough to back either side.
One things for sure, these are slow paced defensive teams regardless of who starts. The Celtics are the team that could run up a huge score, but I don’t see that being the case without Tatum. They have fallen well short of this total in all three head-to-head meetings with 192, 206 and 188 points. This safest play here is under 212 points.
Official Play: Under 212 Points
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Monday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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