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NBA Betting – Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics

John Benson

by John Benson in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:40 AM PST

Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics (-4, 208 o/u)

After turning around what was a disastrous season only 90 days ago, the Boston Celtics (38-42, 20-20 home) have now clinched a playoff spot. The team punched its ticket to the postseason with a 117-78 rout of the shorthanded Cavaliers on Sunday.

Tonight, the Celtics will look to solidify their No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Toronto Raptors (48-32, 22-18 away) at TD Garden (4:30 p.m. Eastern).

As for Boston’s turnaround, no one is more impressed than center Tyler Zeller.

“We didn’t even know we had a chance back in the beginning of January,” Zeller said. “It says a lot about the group we have just coming out every night and competing.”

Now, Boston head coach Brad Stevens is hoping to keep the momentum going for his playoff-bound team.

“Toronto walk-through at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, nothing changes at all,” Stevens said. “We’re going to keep gaining steam here.”

As for the Raptors, the squad has won six of its last ten and is a half-game behind the Bulls for the No. 3 seed in the East. The Atlantic Division champs have already tied its team record for victories in a season.

“These guys fought for it, scratched for it. They earned it,” said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey.

As far as the playoffs are concerned, Toronto needs Kyle Lowry to find his game. After missing seven games due to a back injury, the point guard has struggled in the team’s last two contests.

“My rhythm is still off,” said Lowry, who was 3/14 from the floor last Saturday in a 107-104 win over Miami. “I am missing shots I know I can make. They’re going to fall and I’m not going to stop shooting, so I’m just trying to get myself back.”

Over/under-wise, the Raptors are 27-13 on the road while the Celtics are 22-17-1 at home; the play tonight is the over (208.5).

(Photo credit: michalkajzerek (flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode]. Photo has been cropped.)

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