The Boston Celtics (45-23) and the Toronto Raptors (49-18) square off on Friday night as the NBA regular season winds down. Boston doesn’t have a hope of catching Toronto for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, but they do need to keep winning so that the Miami Heat won’t get thoughts of overtaking them for the third seed. The Raptors have won seven games in a row now, dating back before the COVID-19 shutdown of league play, while the Celtics have just won four of their last ten. Can the Raptors make the Celtics sweat sliding down to the fourth seed, or will Boston bring an end to Toronto’s winning streak? How will this affect their NBA odds for the game or the their odds to win the Championship?
Don’t miss our NBA betting preview of this potential preview of a conference semifinal series.
NBA Betting: Boston Celtics vs Toronto Raptors (August 7)
When: Friday, August 7, 2020, 9:00 pm ET
Where: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando
TV: ESPN
Radio: 98.5 FM The Sports Hub Boston / CHUM 1050 AM Toronto
Live Stream: fuboTV
NBA Odds: Boston +3 / O/U 218.5
Why should you Bet on Boston?
Boston absolutely throttled the Brooklyn Nets in their last game, rolling to a 149-115 laugher on Wednesday. The Celtics got out of the gate quickly, outsourcing Brooklyn 34-25 in the first quarter and putting up 71 points in the first half. When the fourth quarter turned into a track meet, Boston showed no sign of weariness, outsourcing the Nets 43-38. Given some of the fitness issues that have slowed teams in the fourth quarter in some of the early games here in the Orlando “bubble,” this should be an encouraging sign for Celtics fans.
Guard Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 21 points, but he was far from the only Boston player in double figures. Gordon Hayward and Robert Williams chipped in 18 points apiece, and Jayson Tatum added 19. Brad Wanamaker (13), Marcus Smart (12) and Daniel Theis (10) all made it to ten or more points, while Semi Ojeleye was right on the edge with nine points. Hayward led the team with seven rebounds, and Smart led the team with six assists. This sort of offensive balance makes the Celtics difficult to stop, even for a defensive powerhouse like Toronto. Can the Celtics keep the offense up against the conference’s second-best team?
Why should you put your Money on the Raptors?
Toronto also won their Wednesday game, albeit in much less emphatic fashion, as they took down the Orlando Magic, 109-99. The Raptors established their control over the game in the first quarter, using their defense to shut down the Magic, outsourcing them 26-11. They went into the locker room at halftime up 55-35. The Magic did come out of the locker room for the second half a little better focused on offense, outscoring Toronto by 10. However, they were not able to push much closer as both teams posted 31 in the final quarter.
Guard Fred VanVleet led Toronto with 21 points, and he and Kyle Lowry also dished out 10 assists apiece. Forward Pascal Siakam had 15 points, and Norman Powell (14), Marc Gasol (13), O.G. Anunoby (12) and Serge Ibaka (11) also had double figures in points. Lowry and Ibaka led the team in rebounds with nine apiece. After that first quarter, the Raptors were able to operate in cruise control to a large degree, keeping the Magic from formulating a serious threat later in the game. If you like the Raptors in this game, you see them using that same defensive emphasis to shut down a Boston team that was red-hot on Wednesday — and having the hunger to clamp down despite not needing the win to clinch the second seed.
Final Score and Prediction
A lot of these “bubble” games are coming down to hunger — and need for movement in the standings. I see the Raptors giving the Celtics a much better game than the Nets did the other day, but I ultimately see Boston pulling away, as they need the win more.
I predict a final score of Boston 118, Toronto 114. | Check the Odds
NBA Standings
Date: 8/7/20
Eastern Conference |
||||||
Atlantic Division |
W | L | Pct | Streak | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Toronto | 49 | 18 | .731 | 7 W | ||
| x-Boston | 45 | 23 | .662 | 1 W | ||
| x-Philadelphia | 41 | 27 | .603 | 2 W | ||
| Brooklyn | 32 | 36 | .471 | 1 L | ||
| New York | 21 | 45 | .318 | 1 W | ||
Central Divison |
W | L | Pct | Streak | ||
| xyz-Milwaukee | 55 | 14 | .797 | 1 W | ||
| x-Indiana | 42 | 27 | .609 | 1 L | ||
| Chicago | 22 | 43 | .338 | 1 W | ||
| Detroit | 20 | 46 | .303 | 5 L | ||
| Cleveland | 19 | 46 | .292 | 1 L | ||
Southeast Division |
W | L | Pct | Streak | ||
| x-Miami | 43 | 26 | .623 | 1 L | ||
| Orlando | 32 | 37 | .464 | 2 L | ||
| Charlotte | 23 | 42 | .354 | 1 W | ||
| Washington | 24 | 44 | .353 | 4 L | ||
| Atlanta | 20 | 47 | .299 | 1 L | ||
Western Conference |
||||||
Northwest Division |
W | L | Pct | Streak | ||
| x-Denver | 45 | 24 | .652 | 1 L | ||
| x-Utah | 43 | 25 | .632 | 1 W | ||
| x-Oklahoma City | 42 | 25 | .627 | 1 W | ||
| Portland | 32 | 38 | .457 | 2 W | ||
| Minnesota | 19 | 45 | .297 | 3 L | ||
Pacific Division |
W | L | Pct | Streak | ||
| xyz-LA Lakers | 51 | 17 | .750 | 2 L | ||
| x-LA Clippers | 46 | 22 | .676 | 1 W | ||
| Phoenix | 30 | 39 | .435 | 4 W | ||
| Sacramento | 29 | 39 | .426 | 1 W | ||
| Golden State | 15 | 50 | .231 | 1 L | ||
Southwest Division |
W | L | Pct | Streak | ||
| x-Houston | 43 | 25 | .632 | 1 W | ||
| x-Dallas | 41 | 30 | .577 | 1 L | ||
| Memphis | 32 | 37 | .464 | 5 L | ||
| San Antonio | 29 | 38 | .433 | 2 L | ||
| New Orleans | 29 | 39 | .426 | 1 L | ||
NBA Spots: X – Clinched Playoff Spot | Y – Clinched Division | Z – Clinched Conference
