Celtics Look To Knock Over Defending Champs

Boston is a win away from its third Eastern Conference final appearance in four years after posting a 22-point blowout win in Game 5. The Celtics have now covered seven of nine meetings with the Raptors this year, while the UNDER has also gone 7-2.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Most of the early money has come in on the Celtics, moving Boston to a 3-point favorite as of Tuesday night. If that line holds, it’ll be the biggest point spread in a Toronto-Boston game since the Celtics were 4-point road favorites on Christmas Day — when Toronto was without Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol. The UNDER has also gotten pounded, which is no surprise after the first five games in the series went low by 10 points or more.

Toronto News & Notes

The Raptors could be without one of their top offensive weapons as they attempt to stave off elimination. Serge Ibaka, who is shooting 51.2 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point range during the playoffs, twisted his left ankle in Game 5 and was in a walking boot Tuesday. The veteran center has scored 15 points or more off the bench three times in this series despite not playing more than 27 minutes in any of the games.

If Ibaka can’t suit up, it puts even more pressure on starters Siakam and Gasol to rediscover their offensive games. Siakam is averaging just 18 points per outing in the playoffs — a drop of nearly five points per game from his all-star production in the regular season — while Gasol has missed all 10 of his three-point attempts in this series and is 3-for-21 from deep in the postseason. Without two of their key cogs firing, the Raptors have been held to 100 points or less four times in this series.

Boston News & Notes

The Celtics are now 7-2 ATS in the playoffs, and they’ve done it with defense. Boston has gone UNDER the total in seven straight games and allowed 100 points or less in five of those. The Celts have also held Toronto to 100 or less in five of their last six meetings with the defending champs.

After Jayson Tatum carried the bulk of the load offensively in Boston’s first two wins, Jaylen Brown led the way in the Celtics’ Game 5 blowout. The power forward knocked down 10 of 18 shots from the field on his way to a game-high 27 points, bouncing back from a 4-for-18 shooting performance in Game 4. Brown had plenty of help as five other Celtics scored at least a dozen points.