A big part of writing about sports is making predictions about what might happen today, as well as weeks and months in the future. The same is true in betting, especially if you want to get in on picking potential championship winners while you can still get the team you like at very good odds. Prior to the start of this NBA season, there were a lot of people throwing money at the Boston Celtics as a favorite to win the Eastern Conference, but those tickets will now have been consigned to the trash, as there is absolutely no way that Boston can get to the top at this late stage of the season.
Instead, the East has turned into a bit of a surprising 2-horse race between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors, with both of those teams starting to separate from the pack. The Celtics will try and play a role in deciding who eventually wins the East when they head into Toronto to face the Raptors on Tuesday night. Boston is a 3.5-point underdog, with the point total set at 226 ½.
How to Bet Celtics at Raptors NBA Spread & Expert Pick
It’ll be a battle north of the border tonight at 8 p.m. pic.twitter.com/BXhSbU0Lr0
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) 26 de febrero de 2019
- When: Tuesday, February 26 at 8 PM EST
- Where: Scotiabank Centre, Toronto
- TV: TNT
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- NBA Odds: Toronto Raptors -3.5 (Total 226.5)
Thunder vs Nuggets NBA Odds, Preview & Prediction
Why bet on the Boston Celtics?
The Celtics started this season slow and have never really been able to slip into the higher gear where we all expected them to be. While they have shown little flashes of brilliance by going on positive runs, they always seem to slide back into a funk again, as they are doing now in their current 2-game losing streak.
That run has seen them lose even more ground to the leaders, with the Raptors up on the Celtics by 6 ½ games, while the Bucks hold a 9-game lead. The Celtics have had the best of this series this season, winning 2 of 3 versus Toronto, but the lone loss came on the road, while the two wins came at the Garden. Boston has gone 5-4 ATS as a road dog this season.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 112.78
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.39
- Three-Point Percentage: 37.10
- Free Throw Percentage: 81.26
- Total Rebounds: 44.97
Defense
- Total Score: 106.77
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.45
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.10
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.40
- Total Rebounds: 45.55
Why bet on the Toronto Raptors?
While the Raptors continue to maintain the second-best win percentage in the NBA, they also know that their chances of running down the team with the best record, the Milwaukee Bucks, get slimmer with each passing game. Toronto will definitely battle all the way to the end, but given that the Bucks are just not slipping up at all, their 2 ½ game lead looks to be untouchable right now.
Toronto is coming into this one off a loss in their last outing, but they are still a very solid 8-2 over their last 10 games, while also being great at home, where they have posted a 25-6 record. Where they have not been good is against the spread, where they have gone just 13-18 at home, as well as 18-30-1 as a favorite overall.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 114.15
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.84
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.90
- Free Throw Percentage: 80.50
- Total Rebounds: 45.13
Defense
- Total Score: 108.90
- Field Goal Percentage: 45.36
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.78
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.70
- Total Rebounds: 44.74
Celtics at Raptors NBA Betting Trends
- Boston is 3-6-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
- Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston’s last 8 games on the road
- Toronto is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
- Toronto is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto’s last 9 games at home
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
The one thing that really jumps out when you look at the previous meetings between these two teams is that the home team has come away with the win in 10 straight games. That swings things heavily in the favor of Toronto, who I like to win and cover here.
Score: Boston Celtics 108 – Toronto Raptors 114
