Toronto Raptors will take on the Boston Celtics in Monday’s action of the NBA 2021-22. The home side has tied two wins, and they look forward to extending the streak for a little bit longer. The visitors are full of confidence, and they want to keep up winning.
Toronto wants to stay in the top six in the Eastern Conference, and another victory would be very important for them to achieve that accomplishment. However, they will face an in-form opponent, and it’s going to be a tough task. On the other hand, Boston eyes the pole position after a series of excellent results. They want to pick up where they left off and celebrate another vital win.
Toronto Raptors – Can they win on the home court again?
It’s going to be the third straight game on the home court for the Raptors, and they were quite successful in the previous two. After beating the Cleveland Cavaliers, they were better than the Indiana Pacers in a comfortable 131-91 win on Saturday evening. Toronto had an excellent 60.4 field goal percentage, while their opponents made 14 turnovers, opposed to Toronto’s six. That success helped them climb to the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference, having a 42-32 record. However, they face the best team in their conference but will try to celebrate another success.
Pascal Siakam leads Toronto’s offense with 22.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per match on average. Fred VanVleet produces 20.6 pts, 6.7 assists, 4.6 rebs, and 1.6 steals, while Gary Trent Jr. contributes with 18 points and 1.8 steals per contest. OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes are another two players with a double-digit number of points, chipping in with 17.4 and 15.4 pts per game, respectively. Regarding the selection issues, the Raptors cannot count on Gary Trent Jr. and Malachi Flynn, while Fred VanVleet is listed as questionable.
Expected Line-Up: Dalano Banton, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Chris Boucher, Pascal Siakam
with best odds
Boston Celtics – Will they extend their victorious run?
The Celtics have been smoking hot lately, winning six times in a row. They lost just one game in the last 12, and that excellent run launched them to the top of the Eastern Conference with a 47-28 record. Boston heads to a trip to Toronto after two confident wins on the home court. They were better than the Utah Jazz before celebrating a comfortable 134-112 win over Minnesota Timberwolves. The Celtics dominated the paint, having 15 rebounds more than their rivals, while Jayson Tatum led them to success with 34 points, six assists, five rebounds, one block, and a steal for 34 minutes spent in the game.
Jayson Tatum has been the most dominant player in Boston’s offense with 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. Jaylen Brown averages 23.4 pts, followed by 6.1 rebs, 3.2 assists, and a steal per contest, while Marcus Smart produces 11.9 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 rebounds. Robert Williams III controls the paint with 9.6 rebounds per match while contributing with ten points on average. However, he will be unavailable for this match, while Al Horford and Jayson Tatum are listed as questionable.
Expected Line-Up: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams, Sam Hauser, Daniel Theis
Expert Pick #1 – Boston Celtics +3.5 @-110
Although they may miss some important players, I still believe Boston can cover the number here. They are on a hot run and shouldn’t let the conference top spot slip from their hands. Therefore, I’ll back the Celtics to cover as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Over 217.5 @-110
Toronto has been involved in low-scoring matches lately, but that’s not the case with Boston. The Over cashed four times in their last five games, and this one should go over a 217.5 margin. I expect another efficient game, and I’ll take this as the second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Boston Celtics Over 107.5 @-115
The Celtics produced 110 points or more in all of their last six games, and although the Raptors’ defense is quite solid, I believe the visitors will go over the margin again. The odds are slightly lower than in the first two picks, but I’ll take it as the second alternative.
