The Toronto Raptors (12-18) travel to face off against the Boston Celtics (24-6) on Friday, December 29th. This game will be played at TD Garden. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 7:30 ET.

Raptors vs Celtics

The Raptors Are Coming Off A Win

Most recently, the Raptors bested the Wizards with a score of 132-102. At the beginning of the second half, the Raptors were leading 59-50.

The Raptors are coming into today’s game against the Celtics with an overall record of 12-18. On the road, the Raptors are 4-9 compared to 8-9 at home.

So far, Toronto’s ATS record is below .500 at 14-16. As the favorite this season, Toronto is 6-7 vs. the spread while going 8-9 as the underdog.

The Celtics Are Coming Off A Win

In their latest game against the Pistons, Kristaps Porzingis was the top scorer for the Celtics’ offense, scoring 35 points and shooting 13/21 from the field. The Celtics picked up a 128-122 win, and Jayson Tatum also added 31 points which was 2nd on the team.

With a record of 24-6, the Celtics are looking to build on their above .500 record today against the Raptors. In the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are currently ranked 1st and are also 1st in the Atlantic division.

Boston has an overall ATS record of 14-14 for the season so far. On the road, the Celtics have an ATS record of 5-9, as opposed to a 9-5 record against the spread when playing at home.

Raptors Offense Breakdown

Toronto has recorded an average of 113.1 points per game (21st) throughout 30 games games. When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Raptors are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 98.5 per contest. So far, the Raptors offensive game plan has revolved around working the ball inside, as despite being a below-average team in pace they are 4th in made 2-point field goals per game.

Celtics Offense Breakdown

The Celtics arrive for today’s game as one of the NBA’s top offensive teams, scoring an average of 120.3 points per game (6th). When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Celtics are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 98.4 per contest. Although the team tends to play at a more deliberate pace, they are currently one of the more efficient shooting teams, connecting on field goal attempts at a rate of 11th%.

Raptors Team Defense

So far, the Raptors’ defense is ranked 15th in the league at 114.4 points per contest. The Toronto defense has allowed opponents to shoot 37.8% from beyond the arc this season. Opposing teams are also hitting 48.4% of their field goal attempts vs. Toronto.

Celtics Team Defense

This season, the Celtics defense has been impressive, holding the 4th position in the league while permitting an average of 110.3 points per contest. In their previous game, the Celtics’ defense struggled against the Pistons, giving up 122 points on a field goal percentage of 47%.

Key Players For The Raptors And Celtics

In today’s game, our projections have Pascal Siakam leading the Raptors with 17 points on 7/11 shooting from the field. For the season, he has been averaging 21.3 points per game, in addition to 6.7 rebounds.

On the flip side, our predictions place Jayson Tatum as the leading scorer for the Celtics. We expect him to conclude the game with a team-high 17 while also collecting 5 rebounds. This season, he has put together a field goal percentage of 47%, and he is contributing 27 points per game on average.

Raptors vs Celtics Trends

• In their last five games away from home, the Raptors have a straight up record of 1-4 while going 1-4 vs. the spread. The team averaged 118 points per game in this stretch.
• Boston has played well in their previous three home games, going 3-0 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 138 points per game while allowing 114. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-0.
• In their last five games as the betting underdog, the Raptors have a straight up record of 1-4 and an ATS mark of 1-4.
• The last ten games that Boston was favored, they have an ATS mark of 5-4-1 while going 8-2 straight up.

Raptors vs Celtics Prediction

When looking to get a point-spread pick down in this Celtics vs. Celtics game, our recommendation is to take the Raptors at +9. Despite our model showing the Celtics winning 112-109, we like Raptors as our point-spread pick.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 225, and our model predicts the Raptors and Celtics to score a combined 221 points. We recommend betting on the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.