Who's Playing
Toronto Raptors @ Boston Celtics
Current Records: Toronto 2-11, Boston 10-3
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: TD Garden -- Boston, Massachusetts
- TV: The Sports Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $116.00
What to Know
The Celtics will be playing the full four quarters on Saturday, but they're expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They will host the Toronto Raptors at 8:00 p.m. ET at TD Garden. The Celtics have been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
The Celtics are headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past the Nets 139-114 on Wednesday. Boston has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 20 points or more this season.
Jayson Tatum got back to being his usual excellent self, as he shot 5-for-6 from downtown and almost dropped a triple-double on 36 points, nine rebounds, and ten assists. What's more, he also posted a 83.3% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest he's posted since back in November of 2023. Payton Pritchard was another key player, going 8 for 13 en route to 23 points plus eight assists and six rebounds.
The Celtics were working as a unit and finished the game with 35 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, the Raptors' recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their sixth straight loss. They took a 99-95 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Pistons.
The Raptors' defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Jakob Poeltl, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 19 rebounds, and RJ Barrett, who had 22 points plus seven assists and six rebounds.
Boston pushed their record up to 10-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for Toronto, their loss dropped their record down to 2-11.
Saturday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: The Celtics haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 11.8 turnovers per game (they're ranked third in turnovers per game overall). It's a different story for the Raptors, though, as they've been averaging 16. Given the Celtics' sizable advantage in that area, the Raptors will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Celtics were able to grind out a solid victory over the Raptors in their previous matchup back in January, winning 105-96. Do the Celtics have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raptors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Boston is a big 16.5-point favorite against Toronto, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 16.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 228 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Boston has won 9 out of their last 10 games against Toronto.
- Jan 15, 2024 - Boston 105 vs. Toronto 96
- Dec 29, 2023 - Boston 120 vs. Toronto 118
- Nov 17, 2023 - Boston 108 vs. Toronto 105
- Nov 11, 2023 - Boston 117 vs. Toronto 94
- Apr 07, 2023 - Boston 121 vs. Toronto 102
- Apr 05, 2023 - Boston 97 vs. Toronto 93
- Jan 21, 2023 - Boston 106 vs. Toronto 104
- Dec 05, 2022 - Boston 116 vs. Toronto 110
- Mar 28, 2022 - Toronto 115 vs. Boston 112
- Nov 28, 2021 - Boston 109 vs. Toronto 97
