Raptors vs Celtics Picks and Predictions: Underdog Dinos Shine In Boston

The Toronto Raptors have dropped two in a row following their five-game winning streak, but despite the losses, the vibes are good coming out of The Six through the team’s first 11 games. Now, they’ll try to bounce back when they visit the Boston Celtics Wednesday night. 

The Celtics have struggled early this season, including getting blown out by the Raps back on Oct. 22, but are 3-0 ATS in their last three games. Can Toronto get back in the win column and cover as underdogs?

Find out in our free picks and predictions for Celtics vs. Raptors on November 10.

Raptors vs Celtics odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

The Raptors opened this matchup as 2.5-point underdogs and have seen a slight edge in the early money, moving the line to +2. The total has seen more action, hitting the board at 210, and has been bet down four points to the current 206.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Raptors vs Celtics predictions

• Raptors ML (+110)
• Under 206 (-110)
• Best bet: Raptors ML (+110)
• Best bet: Barnes Over 6.5 rebs (-120)

Predictions made on 11/10/2021 at 11:40 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Raptors vs Celtics game info

• Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Date: Wednesday, November 10, 2021
• Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC Sports Boston, Rogers Sportsnet

Raptors vs Celtics betting preview

Injuries

Raptors: Khem Birch C (Out).
Celtics: Jaylen Brown SF (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Raptors are 5-0 ATS in their last five games as a road underdog and 4-1 ATS in their last five trips to Boston. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Celtics.

Raptors vs Celtics picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

Despite the back-to-back losses, the Raptors are earning praise for their play so far this season. The breakout of OG Anunoby is not being overhyped. Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. give the Raps some weapons from deep. Scottie Barnes has developed quickly, and now Pascal Siakam is back.

But where the Raptors really excel is on the defensive end of the floor. 

The Raptors rank ninth in defensive rating and fourth in scoring defense. But what’s really impressive about what the Raps do on defense is the way they disrupt passing lanes. Toronto leads the NBA in deflections by a wide margin. 

Now, they face a Celtics team that ranks 22nd in true shooting percentage and 25th in effective field goal percentage. They will also be without one of their best players in Jaylen Brown due to a hamstring injury.

Brown not only leads the Celtics in scoring this season at 25.6 points per game but is also the team’s best and most versatile defender. That means the Celtics are short on guys who can guard this long and athletic Raptors squad.

The Celtics showed their potential in a big win over Miami on Nov. 4, but then Brown promptly got hurt, and they followed that up with a 107-104 loss at Dallas where they trailed at one time by as many as 17 points.

It seems odd that the Raptors are getting two points considering these teams seem to be trending in opposite directions, not to mention they already beat the Celtics 115-83 at TD Garden earlier in the year with Brown in the lineup. 

We're not just betting them on the spread. Take the value with the Raps on the moneyline tonight.

Prediction: Raptors ML (+110)

Over/Under analysis

The early money on this Atlantic Division matchup has largely been on the Under, and while we’ve lost some of the value, we’d have to agree with that assessment.

The Raptors can be a tough team to predict totals for. That’s because they are either causing steals and getting out in the transition game, or they are milking the hell out of the clock. In fact, they rank second-to-last in the NBA when it comes to pace. And at just 104.7 points per game, the Raptors rank 22nd in the NBA in scoring.

Meanwhile, we noted how the Celtics rank poorly in advanced shooting statistics. They've averaged just 97 points over their last three games, and have just lost their top scorer for a couple of weeks. On top of that, the C’s aren’t exactly a get-out-and-run kind of team either, ranking 20th in pace.

We have already lost the best number on the Under, but we’re backing it anyway, considering how the Raps and Celts match up.

Prediction: Under 206 (-110)

Best bets

For starters, I’m not sure the Raptors should be the underdogs in this matchup, meaning there is plenty of value on them to win the game outright. So, the Raptors moneyline is one of our best bets tonight.

But we’d be remiss if we didn’t take advantage of the Celtics' other huge flaw. And that is on the glass. The Celtics are one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA. They rank 28th in rebounding percentage and 29th in opponent rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, the Raptors are one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA, coming in at third in rebounding percentage. Now, they will be missing Khem Birch for this matchup, but the return of Siakam mitigates that a bit. 

But the guy we want to focus on is rookie sensation, Scottie Barnes. The kid with a high basketball IQ and a ton of energy is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game this season and we are getting a rebounding total set from him at 6.5. He’s had seven or more in eight of his nine games and now gets a matchup with the Celtics. Sign us up for the Over, thank you very much.

Pick: Raptors ML (+110) & Scottie Barnes Over 6.5 rebounds (-120)

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