Defensive Battle Expected As Short-Handed Raps Host Celtics On Christmas

The Celtics are 7-2 SU and ATS in their last nine games, and are expected to get Gordon Hayward back in the lineup. While Boston has struggled at Toronto recently, the Raptors are missing three key players, making the Celtics an intriguing play on Christmas Day.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Toronto is one of the league’s toughest home teams and is 8-0 ATS in its last eight at home over the Celtics, but with their injuries the Raptors opened as 3-point underdogs. The total opened at a very low 213.5 points, as these teams are second and third in opponent field-goal percentage, second and seventh in points against and the Raptors are missing their leading scorer in Pascal Siakam, as well as key offensive pieces in Marc Gasol and Norman Powell.

Boston News & Notes

Regardless of who’s in and out of the Boston lineup, the Celtics just keep on winning. With Gordon Hayward sitting out his third straight game and Marcus Smart missing his sixth straight contest, Boston persevered to topple the Hornets 119-93 on Sunday.

Boston’s three leading scorers led the way, as Jayson Tatum poured in 39 points, while Kemba Walker added 23 and Jaylen Brown chipped in with 16. Hayward practiced on Monday and is listed as probable to play against Toronto, while Smart is expected to return soon but is questionable for Christmas Day.

The Celtics will need all the offensive weapons they can have, as the Raptors boast the league’s seventh-best scoring defense and allow the second-lowest opponent field-goal percentage in the league. Considering the Celtics have an elite defense themselves, and the UNDER has hit in seven of their last 10 road games, this has all the makings of a hard-fought defensive battle.

Toronto News & Notes

For Christmas this year, the Raptors received a real bad case of the injury bug: leading scorer Pascal Siakam, starting center Marc Gasol and key rotation piece Norman Powell have all missed Toronto’s last three games with injuries. They all have been ruled out indefinitely, so their combined 93.8 minutes, 46.1 points and 18.5 rebounds per game will likely not be available on Christmas Day.

Despite the injuries, Toronto has still continued its strong play, going 5-1 SU and ATS over the last six games, with Kyle Lowry averaging 29.3 points per game since the latest group of Raptors went down.

Lowry and the short-handed Raptors will have a tough test in hosting Boston, but it’s been a scenario they’ve enjoyed recently, as they are 8-0 SU and ATS in their last eight home games against the Celtics.

Betting Pick: Celtics -3

The Celtics likely get Hayward back, while the Raps will likely be without multiple key pieces. With two evenly matched teams, Boston will have a little bit more depth in this game — and that will be the edge for them to cover the spread.