The Boston Celtics (34-12, 16-7 Away), one of the league’s top scoring teams, travel to face the Toronto Raptors (20-26, 14-11 Home) on Saturday. Boston squeaked by the Golden State Warriors 121-118 in overtime at TD Garden on Thursday, their eighth win in a row.
With 34 points, 19 rebounds, and six assists, Jayson Tatum was the key player. The Celtics are the first seed in the Eastern Conference, four games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks. Toronto lost a close one on Thursday at Target Center, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-126.
Scottie Barnes had 29 points and eight rebounds in the loss, carrying the team. The Raptors are the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference. It’s the last meeting of the season between the teams. Boston will be looking for a season sweep against Toronto after triumphing in the only prior game 116-110 at Scotiabank Arena in December 2022.
Tatum led the Celtics with 31 points and 12 rebounds. Pascal Siakam had 29 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in defeat. Tatum and Jaylen Brown, averaging 31.2 and 26.9 points per game, respectively, have led the Celts in scoring this season.
Tatum is third in the NBA in scoring. Tatum also has grabbed 8.5 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart is dishing 7.3 assists per game.Siakam’s 25.1 points per game have powered the Raptors on offense. Siakam has also averaged 8.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.
The Celtics are averaging 118.8 points per game, ranking as one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NBA (2nd).The Raptors have had success in the last 10 games between the teams at Scotiabank Arena, winning seven. Boston is pursuing a sixth consecutive win on the road this season.
Boston is 8-2 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +5.0 (118.7-113.7). Toronto has gone 4-6 over the last 10, averaging 117.0 points per game both for and against.
CELTICS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Malcolm Brogdon: 19.2 | 14.1 | +5.1
Rebounds per game:
Jaylen Brown: 10.5 | 7.1 | +3.4
RAPTORS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Scottie Barnes: 37.8 | 27.6 | +10.2
Chris Boucher: 10.5 | 15.3 | -4.8
Points per game:
Scottie Barnes: 23.4 | 15.7 | +7.7
OG Anunoby: 11.8 | 17.5 | -5.7
Rebounds per game:
Scottie Barnes: 9.4 | 7.2 | +2.2
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Toronto Raptors (-130)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
