Both the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics will play on the second night of a back-to-back when they meet at the TD Garden on Wednesday night. The Raptors rolled to a 120-100 win in Charlotte behind 22 points from Pascal Siakam, while Boston saw Philadelphia come back and take a 103-101 win at the Wells Fargo Center on an epic 52-point night from Joel Embiid. The Raptors have clinched a berth in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament and look to climb even higher in the standings in the last few games. The Celtics are three games behind Milwaukee, currently in second place in the East, with three games to play. Philadelphia is just two games back of Boston. Which team will win on Wednesday? Read our NBA betting preview to get our prediction.
NBA Preview: Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics
When: Wednesday, April 5, 2023, 7:30 pm ET
Where: TD Garden, Boston
TV: No National Broadcast
Radio: WBZ 98.5 FM Boston / CHUM TSN 1050 Toronto
Live Stream: Sling TV
NBA Odds: Boston -3.5 / O/U 223.5 / Toronto +120 / Boston -145
Why should you bet on the Celtics?
Boston lost to Philadelphia for just the first time in four meetings this season. Derrick White scored 26 points, including a three-ball that got the Celtics within two with two seconds remaining, and Jayson Tatum had 19 points. Jaylen Brown missed the game with a back injury, and the Celtics are now 9-4 without him in the lineup. Boston did hit 15 three-pointers in the loss, but they just had no answer inside for Joel Embiid.
On the season, the Celtics are averaging over 118 points per game. In their two wins prior to the loss in Philadelphia, they dropped 140 on Milwaukee and 122 on Utah. The defense has been iffy, permitting 111.8 points per game. Utah scored 114, and Philadelphia scored 103 – with over half coming from one player. Obviously, Embiid is a unique talent, but the Celtics need to lock down the paint ahead of the playoffs.
Why should you put your money on the Raptors?
With their win over Charlotte, the Raptors have now won five of six. They dominated the second quarter, winning by 16 after ending the first period down by four. They also went on a 19-0 run across the end of the third and the start of the fourth quarters after the Hornets had closed within five points. Siakam’s 22 points were accompanied by 14 rebounds. Chris Boucher (21), will Barton (20), O.G. Anunoby (17), Fred VanVleet (16), Precious Achiuwa (12) and Jakob Poeltl (10) also hit double figures.
It helped, of course, that the Hornets were missing eight players due to injury, including LaMelo Ball (right ankle), Gordon Hayward (left thumb) and P.J. Washington (right foot). However, Boucher and Barton came off the bench to make nine three-balls in that big second quarter. Once the Raptors switched to a zone defense, they were able to slow down the speedy Charlotte offense. Their defense also turned 18 Charlotte turnovers into 22 points. If you like the Raptors on Wednesday, you see that defense standing just as tall against a Boston offense that has all of its key scorers healthy.
Final Score and Prediction
I see Boston rebounding from the frustration of a close loss in Philadelphia the night before, and they get the second night of their back-to-back at home. I predict a final score of Boston 120, Toronto 111.
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