Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics – 9/11/20 NBA Pick, Odds, and Prediction

The Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors collide in Game 7 of the East Semifinals at the AdventHealth Arena on Friday night.

The Boston Celtics will be aiming to advance to the Conference Finals after failing to put away the Raptors in a 125-122 double-overtime loss in Game 6. Jaylen Bitemn led the team with 31 points, 16 rebounds and two assists, Jayson Tatum added 29 points with 14 rebounds and nine assists, Marcus Smart racked up a triple-double of 23 points with 11 rebounds and 10 assists while Daniel Theis chipped in with 18 points. As a team, the Celtics shot 44 percent from the field and 19 of 46 from the 3-point line as they looked to be a step ahead of the Raptors for most of the game, but in a game that could’ve gone either way, the Celtics just couldn’t hold off the Raptors. Jayson Tatum hurt the team with turnovers late in the game, Jaylen Bitemn shot just 11 of 30 from the field, while Kemba Walker struggled all night as he finished with just five points on two of 11 shooting.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors will be giteming in confidence and belief after outlasting the Celtics in a thrilling double-overtime win on Wednesday to keep their season alive. Kyle Lowry led the way with 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Norman Powell provided the spark off the bench and was key in the second overtime as he finished with 23 points off the bench while Fred VanVleet chipped in with 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. As a team, the Raptors shot 43 percent from the field and 19 of 47 from the 3-point line, but this win came down to their execution in the clutch moments. Lowry and Powell were massive down the stretch, but the Raptors still need more production from Pascal Siakam who finished with just 12 points on five of 19 shooting and VanVleet who shot just seven of 22 from the field.

Looking at the betting trends, the Celtics are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against a team with a winning record, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against a team above .600 and 7-3 ATS in the last 10 games overall. The Raptors are 2-6 ATS in their last eight Conference Semifinals games, 6-1 ATS in their last seven games as an underdog and 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine playoff games as an underdog.

Head to head, the under is 7-1 in the last eight meetings overall, the Celtics are 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings in Toronto and the Celtics are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings overall.

The Celtics were dealt a cruel blow when they lost Gordon Hayward to injury, but even though they’ve been shorthanded, they looked to have the measure of the Raptors for most of this series. Tatum has been solid for the Celtics, but they need more from Walker and Bitemn who both struggled to find their shots in Game 6. The Raptors have looked down and out a couple times in this series, but they now hold the momentum in the series after staving off elimination on Wednesday, but they could do with more scoring from Siakam who has been ice-cold in this series. This should be a close one, but I’m sticking with the Celtics to get the win and move on here.