The Toronto Raptors will be vying for their first win in Boston since December 2016 when they take on the Celtics on Friday in their first road contest of the season as small 3-point underdogs on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto opened the defence of its NBA championship on a high note, knocking off the New Orleans Pelicans 130-122 on Tuesday, and has posted straight-up wins in three of its past four road openers going into Friday night’s Raptors vs. Celtics betting matchup at TD Garden.
The Raptors needed overtime to get past New Orleans and cover as 6.5-point home chalk in Tuesday’s home opener. With the win, the Raptors carry over the strong play from last spring’s championship run, and now sport a 9-2 SU and against the spread record in their past 11 contests.
While many observers have expected the Raptors to take a major step back following the offseason departure of Kawhi Leonard, that was not the case in Tuesday’s contest as Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet asserted themselves as the team’s leaders, each draining 34 points.
However, both Siakam and VanVleet have struggled at times in recent dates with the Celtics. Siakam racked up 25 points in a 118-95 win over the Celtics in Toronto on February 26, but averaged just 11 points per game in the Raptors’ two visits to Boston last season. VanVleet was also held off the score sheet while seeing limited action in last season’s two road dates with the Celtics.
Overall, the Raptors are just 4-18 SU in their past 22 road games against Boston, according to the OddsShark NBA Database, and have failed to cover in their past four while falling to defeat by an average margin of seven points. But bettors have been able to enjoy consistent results on the totals, with the OVER prevailing in the past three meetings between these clubs at TD Garden at online sports betting sites.
The Celtics prepare for their home opener on Friday after being outclassed in a 107-93 loss in Philadelphia as 5.5-point underdogs on Wednesday night. However, Boston has turned in steady performances in home openers in recent years, going 4-1 SU in its past five, and sports a 14-3 SU record in October home contests since the start of the 2003 NBA season.
Boston was also dominant on home court in regular-season meetings with Eastern Conference opponents last season, posting SU wins in 14 of their final 15 outings to finish with a 22-4 record down the stretch. However, the Celtics failed to cover in six of their final 10 home dates against the East.
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