Betting Analysis and Predictions: Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors

Two of the rising teams in the Eastern Conference will do battle tonight at the Scotiabank Arena when the Boston Celtics pay a visit to the Toronto Raptors, with tip-off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

It is a game with interesting NBA betting opportunities.

The Celtics have had the best record in the second half of the season, moved into first place in the East, and are second overall in the NBA to the Phoenix Suns.

The Raptors are 10 games over .500 and in sixth place in the hotly-contested Eastern Conference, out of fifth by one game and trail the Celtics by 5.5 games. So, every game now is important down the stretch.

How The Teams Come Into the Matchup

Toronto is 43-31 against the spread and have won eight of their past 10 games and covered the spread in the games they won. It is 19-16 straight-up and 18-17 against the spread in home games.

The Celtics are 47-28 straight-up, 40-34-1 against the spread and have won 9 of their past 10 games, covering the spread in seven of them.

The line opened Sunday night with Toronto installed as a 2-point underdog. Then news broke early today that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will be out with injury. That swung the market a full 10 points, making the Raptors an 8-point favorite.

Solid Betting Opportunities

The total has also moved significantly after opening at 220 points. After the news, it moved to 209.5 points.

I think the market has overreacted to the player news and offers us a solid betting opportunity to go to the window and wager the Over.

The Over wager is backed by a stellar betting algorithm that has earned a highly profitable 47-20-3 Over record, good for 71% winning bets over the past five seasons.

The requirements are to bet the Over with a total of at least 200 points and with the road team coming off two consecutive blowout wins of 15 or more points and is an elite team that is outscoring their opponents by at least six points per game.

I am going to the window and betting the Over at 209.5 or fewer points.