Boston Celtics vs Toronto Raptors Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Opening Week

Toronto is 5-5 and scores with anyone at home, but the Raptors host the 9-2 Celtics without Scottie Barnes, their leading scorer and rebounder. Boston is laying a big road number on the second night of a back-to-back anyway, and whether that price respects what Toronto still does well in this building is the question.

The Matchup

Boston is 9-2, scores 115.7 points per game and allows 104.0, and the Celtics arrive with a clean injury report, nobody listed at all. Jayson Tatum is having a huge season at 27.1 points and a team-best 7.8 assists per game, and Neemias Queta leads Boston at 6.2 rebounds. The Celtics won 123-101 at Philadelphia on Tuesday, so this is the second night of a back-to-back, on the road, in another country.

Toronto is 5-5, scores 116.6 and allows 113.3, and the Raptors score too well to be treated as a pushover in their own building. The problem is who is missing. Scottie Barnes is out with soreness, and Barnes leads Toronto at 23.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, so the Raptors lose their best scorer and their best rebounder in the same absence.

Kawhi Leonard is also out. Jamal Shead leads Toronto at 7.0 assists per game and will run far more of the offense than usual. Immanuel Quickley is day-to-day. Keep an eye on whether Quickley plays before placing a bet.

Toronto last played Monday, a 118-102 home loss to Memphis, so the Raptors are the rested team here. Every team in this game has played at least ten games, so these are this season's numbers with nothing carried over. DraftKings makes Boston a 6.5-point road favorite at Scotiabank Arena, with a total of 216.5 and the Celtics at -249 on the moneyline.

Key Factors

Start with the price against the spot. Boston is the better team by plenty, but the Celtics played Tuesday in Philadelphia, and asking a road favorite to win by seven or more on tired legs is a different bet from asking them to win. Toronto scores 116.6 points per game, and a home team that scores like that only needs an ordinary shooting night to stay inside a number this size.

Barnes being out is the argument the other way, and it is a strong one. Without him, Toronto has no answer for Tatum at either end, and Shead running the offense full-time against Boston's defense is a heavy load for a young guard. If the Celtics defend the way they have all season, this can get away from Toronto in one quarter.

What keeps this on Toronto's side is the shape of the ask. The Raptors do not need to win, or even to threaten late. They need to keep trading baskets in a building where they score freely, against a favorite playing its second game in two nights. That is a much smaller job than beating Boston, and it is the job the points are paying for.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.