Boston vs Toronto: The Celtics to recover for fans

The Celtics have lost three matches on their home court, with Toronto being among the offenders. Will Boston be able to get revenge and finally please their fans at the TD Garden?

The Celtics have won only 4 of their ten regular-season games and are currently in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. The club has already had its first conflict, with Marcus Smart making claims against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for not sharing the ball. Brown got off to a great start to the season but was injured and out for a week or two, while Tatum’s efficiency slumped. 39.5% shooting from the field for the star player is not the best indicator, while two other important players in the rotation, Smart and Schroeder, are below 40%. Al Horford got off to a good start in the regular season, Robert Williams is slowly recovering from injury, and Romeo Langford and Grant Williams also had some standout games. Langford may not play against Toronto due to illness.

Losing to Dallas was especially frustrating. Everything was heading to overtime, but in the end, Boston could not defend against Luka Doncic’s base runner, and in the end, the Celtics lost, 104-107. In doing so, their opponent led for almost the entire game, although the game was essentially even. Ime Udoka’s team shot slightly worse from beyond the arc (29% vs. 33.3%) but was more efficient with offensive rebounds and lost less often. Tatum was the only one to hit three-pointers, making 6-of-8 field-goal attempts and scoring 32 points. Robert Williams dominated in the paint, with 16 points and four offensive rebounds on 7-of-8 shooting.

There’s a sense that the Raptors only benefited from not making the playoffs last season. Scottie Barnes is in serious contention to be the league’s best rookie, averaging 16.6 points per game and 8.7 rebounds. It’s possible that with the return of Pascal Siakam, the stats of the young forward will drop, but either way, Toronto will have a very interesting squad. Already, the Raptors’ starting five could be invincible on defense, as in addition to Van Vliet, Siakam, Anunoby, and Barnes, there’s Gary Trent, who has improved significantly in the offseason. Chris Boucher has all but dropped out of the rotation, losing the competition to Precious Achiuwa, and Khem Birch is still on the sideline.

Nick Nurse’s side has six wins in 11 regular-season games and is now 8th in the Eastern Conference. After a 101-102 home loss to Cleveland, Toronto lost again at home to Brooklyn (103-106). The Raptors won the 1st half but lost by 18 points in the 3rd quarter. Trent, Mykhailiuk, Anunoby, and Siakam failed to make 3-pointers, and only Van Vliet made more or less an acceptable 3-8 from beyond the arc. Toronto also lost the game at home, but the Canadian club greatly outscored its opponent in blocked shots and steals.

In the last head-to-head encounter, Boston handled the ball poorly and committed 25 turnovers, while against Dallas, for example, the team lost the ball only 11 times. Yes, it will be more difficult without Jaylen Brown on both ends of the floor, but the Celtics have a deep enough roster and plenty of interesting players to choose from. Toronto’s starting five is impressive, but the visitors don’t have many consistent role players. If the Raptors again fail to shoot from beyond the arc, as they did against Brooklyn, we could end up with another loss. I suggest we bet on the following odds:

• Total Over 209.5 for 2.25;
• W1 for 1.74;
• Jayson Tatum: Total Over 27.5 points for 1.71.