The Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics face off in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday evening. The Celtics, fresh off a blowout win in Game 5, hold a 3-2 series lead, with the pressure on the Raptors to pick up a victory to avoid elimination. The Raptors officially list Serge Ibaka (ankle) as questionable to play for Game 6, with Gordon Hayward (ankle) still out of the lineup for Boston.
Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. ET in Orlando. William Hill lists the Celtics as 3.5-point favorites, up from the opener, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 209 in the latest Celtics vs. Raptors odds. Before you make any Raptors vs. Celtics picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it's already returned over $5,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks this season. It entered the week on a blistering 61-33 run on top-rated NBA spread picks, returning almost $2,500 on those picks alone. It's also a sizzling 11-3 on top-rated picks since the NBA's restart in July. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Celtics vs. Raptors. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NBA odds from William Hill and trends for Raptors vs. Celtics:
- Celtics vs. Raptors spread: Celtics -3.5
- Celtics vs. Raptors over-under: 209 points
- Celtics vs. Raptors money line: Celtics -165, Toronto +145
- BOS: The Celtics are 7-3 against the spread in the last 10 games
- TOR: The Raptors are 5-5 against the spread in the last 10 games
Why the Celtics can cover
The Celtics are a potent offensive team, and that has been on display with the exception of an errant shooting night in Game 4. Boston finished as the fourth-best offensive team in the NBA on a per-possession basis during the regular season, finishing sixth in turnover avoidance and fifth in offensive rebounding. Individually, Jayson Tatum is the team's biggest weapon, averaging 24.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in the postseason, and Kemba Walker puts pressure on the opposition to the tune of 21.9 points and 5.2 assists per game in the playoffs.
Defensively, the Celtics are also elite, including No. 1 rankings in shooting efficiency allowed and points allowed per possession so far in the NBA Playoffs. Overall, Boston has been the best team in the postseason, outscoring opponents by 9.5 points per 100 possessions, and the Celtics have every reason to be confident in Game 6.
Why the Raptors can cover
The Raptors are fighting an uphill battle in the series overall, simply by nature of being forced to win back-to-back games to avoid elimination. However, Toronto has reasons for optimism in a one-game sample. The Raptors remain a tremendous defensive team, ranking No. 2 in the NBA in defensive rating during the regular season and No. 3 in the same category during the playoffs. Toronto ranks No. 6 in the playoffs in defensive rebounding and, with plenty of experience and a top-tier coach in Nick Nurse, the Raptors should have confidence in their defense.
Offensively, it has been a struggle against a pesky Celtics defense, but the Raptors rank No. 3 in the playoffs in assist rate, while leading the postseason by committing 2.07 assists for every turnover issued. Toronto also excels at avoiding turnovers, giving the ball away on only 12.6 percent of possessions in the playoffs, and the Raptors can lean on a potent guard duo of Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry for shot creation.
How to make Raptors vs. Celtics picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, with Marc Gasol and Jaylen Brown projected to exceed their season-long scoring averages. The model also says one side of the spread hits over 50 percent of the time. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Raptors vs. Celtics? And which side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Celtics vs. Raptors spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $5,000 on its top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.
