Eastern Conference Betting Preview: Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics NBA Free Picks

Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics
Friday, 1/7/11, 7:30 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: Boston -9.5
Current Betting Line: Boston -9.5
Opening Total: 199
Current Total: 199

Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce is red hot and leads the team into battle against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night

Toronto travels to Boston for the season series finale against the Celtics on Friday night. The Raptors are looking to split the season series with the Celtics for the first time since 2006-07 and capture a win at TD Garden for the first time since January 23, 2008. The team is coming off a 120-105 win over Cleveland, snapping an 11-game losing streak at the Quicken Loans Arena that dated all the way back to 2004. It’s important to point out that the squad has struggled mightily in second quarters due to significant injuries, being outscored in 13 of the last 14 situations. Toronto is 8-1-2 ATS in Friday games and currently a large underdog on the NBA lines page.

The Raptors will be playing their sixth game away from the Air Canada Centre in their last seven games played tonight. Toronto has just five road victories on the season. Point guard Jose Calderon has been leading the offensive charge for the club, recording 10 or more assists in six of his last seven appearances, averaging 11.4 points and 12.2 assists over that stretch. He will look to lead the squad to consecutive victories for the first time since the star of last month. Center Andrea Bargnani also figures to play an important role in this matchup, leading the team with 21.4 points per game, but he has managed to average just 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in the last seven meetings with tonight’s opponent.

Boston enters Friday’s contest with a dominating 27-7 overall mark and 15-2 record at home. The Celtics are actually a perfect 11-0 at the TD Garden versus Eastern Conference opponents. The team is coming off a hard-fought 105-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs and was led by point guard Rajon Rondo’s triple-double. It was his sixth triple-double of his career and he averaged 12.3 points, 10.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds in the past seven meetings with the Raptors. “I felt a lot better in the past couple of games,” said Rondo about coming back from injury. “I’m in a little better rhythm and I’m able to push off a little bit more with the ankle.” Boston is 12-27-1 ATS as a home favorite of 5.0 to 10.5 points.

The Celtics are currently on the longest winning streak in franchise history against Toronto at eight games. Boston tallied a 93-79 win over the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre on January 2, with Paul Pierce scoring a game-high 30 points. Pierce is enjoying a special run at the moment, averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists over the past 11 games. He will likely lead the team to its 15th victory in the the last 17 meetings with Toronto. Boston has also dominated the Raptors at home, going 15-3 in the last 18 match-ups.

Bettors will be interested in backing the Raptors due to the road team being 9-3-1 ATS in the last 13 meetings, while the Celtics are 0-4 ATS as a home favorite.