The Atlantic’s top team will be at home when the Toronto Raptors (45-30) welcome the division rival Boston Celtics (34-41) to the Air Canada Centre. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday, Apr. 4 and can be seen on CSN-NE and SN 360.
The Raptors played well in their last game, topping the Timberwolves 113-99 on Wednesday. DeMar DeRozan played a pivotal role with 17 points, three assists, and two rebounds. The Celtics, meanwhile, are coming off a 100-87 win against the Pacers on Wednesday. Tyler Zeller led the team in scoring by accounting for 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting.
The Raptors have emerged victorious in both games against the Celtics this year, including a 109-96 win the last time these two teams met. Kelly Olynyk was the top overall scorer in the game with 23 points.
The odds for Toronto and Boston are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Raptors come into this game 45-30 Straight Up (SU) and 35-39-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 11-2 SU and 6-7 ATS against divisional opponents. The Raptors have no trouble scoring as they rank fourth in the league in offense with 104.2 points per game. The Raptors are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 19.5 per game.
In the other locker room, the Celtics have a record of 43-32 ATS and 34-41 SU. Against fellow division members, Boston has a 10-4 SU and a 9-5 ATS record. The Celtics are an unselfish team with an average of 24.3 assists per game, ranking fourth in the NBA.
The Raptors’ win over Boston in their last game bumped their SU record to 6-4 over the Celtics in the last 10 meetings. The Celtics lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. In these last 10 matchups, Toronto held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers four times, with Boston controlling all three of these areas once.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, ATS Winner – TOR
Notes
Toronto puts up an average of 104.2 points per game (ranked fourth). Boston ranks 24th in points allowed per game with 101.5.
Boston ranks 11th in points allowed per road game (102.6 PPG), while Toronto ranks 11th in points per home game with 102.6.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Raptors are 27-5 on the season. When the Celtics score fewer than 100, they are a poor 9-22.
Toronto has an 18-25 record when allowing at least 100 points. Boston has a 25-19 record when it hits the century mark.
The Raptors have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (107.9). The Celtics are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 101.9 (ranked 12th).
Toronto averages fewer possessions per game than Boston, with 96.6 compared to 99.5. However, the Raptors score an average of 1.079 points per possession, more than the 1.014 that the Celtics score.
Toronto is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 50.8% (ranked eighth in the NBA). Boston is an underachieving 6-27 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Toronto Raptors attempt 24.9 three point field goals per game and the Boston Celtics attempt 24.5 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Toronto has a 24-18 record and Boston has a 16-18 record.
Boston ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.83 (ranked fifth). Toronto is ranked ninth, with an A/TO of 1.72 this season.
The Toronto Raptors are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 41.4 per game. The Boston Celtics average 44.1 rebounds (ranked 11th).
The Boston Celtics rank 12th in offensive rebounding, while the Toronto Raptors rank 27th in defensive rebounding.
The Toronto Raptors’ opponents have an average turnover percentage of 14.5% this season. The Boston Celtics are 11-16 SU when their TOV% is 14.5% or higher.
