Celtics, Raptors Set for a Defensive Duel

Toronto and Boston are on a second-round collision course after sweeping their first-round series – and a key absence for the Celtics might just be the deciding factor as the teams face off Sunday in Game 1. The Celtics cruised past the Philadelphia 76ers in four straight, while the Raptors skewered the Brooklyn Nets in four, with three of their victories coming by 24+ points.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Toronto had originally opened the betting as 2-point favorites and the total for Game 1 opened at 216, the lowest of the postseason for the Raptors.

Boston News & Notes

Losing starting small forward Gordon Hayward to an ankle injury early in the series against the 76ers wasn't a major loss for the Celtics; after all, Philadelphia was without point guard Ben Simmons and couldn't get anything going against a stout Boston defense. Things get a lot tougher against defending-champion Toronto, which made the Nets look like a G-League team.

The Celtics will look to lean on Jayson Tatum yet again; he averaged 27 points in the four-game series against Philadelphia, adding 9.8 rebounds while connecting on better than 45 percent of his 3-point attempts. Tatum had a rough go of it during the regular season against the Raptors, who held him below 20 points in three of their four meetings.

Toronto News & Notes

Between a sensational transition offense and dead-eye 3-point shooting, there aren't many weaknesses in the Toronto attack. The Raptors scored at will against the Nets, shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and 41 percent from 3-point territory. Toronto also dished out an average of 30.5 assists per game while committing just 12.0 turnovers in the series win over Brooklyn.

The key for the Raptors: Whether the duo of Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam can duplicate the success it had in Round 1. VanVleet averaged 21.3 points and 7.8 assists while averaging just under five made 3-pointers per contest, while Siakam ranked second on the team in scoring (20.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 rpg) despite struggling somewhat with his shot.

Betting Pick: UNDER 216

This series should feature terrific defense on both sides of the court – starting with the opener.