NBA Betting Odds: Boston At Toronto

It’s beginning to look as though the Eastern Conference in the NBA is going to take on a very similar look to that of last season. The Cleveland Cavaliers are maintaining their lead at the top, and while they aren’t exactly blowing the chasing pack away, they don’t really look as though they are ever going to relinquish the lead. The gap at the top now sits at 4.5 games, with the Toronto Raptors sitting in the second seed spot. Just a game back of Toronto are the Boston Celtics, who will have a chance to slice that slender margin when they travel to Canada on Tuesday night. It is the Celtics who would appear to have the edge in this one, as they are on a great run of form at the moment, but it is worth remembering that they have had a difficult time versus Toronto in the past couple of seasons. There is a lot of jockeying for position going on in the East right now, and this one could tighten things up considerably if the Celtics win.

A Closer Look At The NBA Betting Odds: Boston At Toronto

When: Tuesday, January 10 at 7:30 PM EST Where: Rogers Center, Toronto TV: NBATV Radio: WBZ and CJCL NBA Odds: TBA    

Why bet on the Boston Celtics

The Celtics are holding the hot hand right now, winning 4 straight and 8 of their last 10 coming into this week. Boston has also been good on the road this season, going 12-8, although their last road game ended in defeat in Cleveland. The Celtics have also been very good in their division games, going 6-1, with that lone defeat coming at the hands of the Raptors. Boston Celtics has not had much joy versus Toronto in their last 5 meetings, winning just one, with that victory coming in the Garden. Now might be the ideal time to shift that record a little more in their favor, as the Raptors are going through a bit of a rough patch.

Why bet on the Toronto Raptors

Toronto has spent the entire season within a couple of games of the conference leading Cavaliers, but a run that has seen them go 5-5 in their last 10, including back to back losses, has seen the margin move to 4.5 games. The Raptors have struggled on the defensive side of the court during this poor run, especially in the last two games, where they surrendered a total of 151 points to the Rockets and the Bulls. That is not particularly good news heading into a game versus the Celtics, who are averaging 106.8 PPG this season. On the bright side, the Raptors have been good against Boston, and have won 3 of their last 4 against them at home.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I think that this is going to be the type of game where we see the lead change hands several times throughout the course of the game. If that is indeed the case, then it may come down to a single point or two to decide it.

Boston Celtics 107 Toronto Raptors 108