The NBA season heats up with an in-season tournament matchup between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. Our NBA odds series continues with a Celtics-Raptors prediction and pick.

The wins just keep on coming for the Boston Celtics. On Wednesday night's primetime nationally televised game, the Celtics throttled the Philadelphia 76ers as they won by 10 points. Getting revenge for their loss on November 8th, the Celtics outscored the 76ers in three out of four quarters. Jayson Tatum led the way, scoring 29 points on the night and adding eight rebounds and six assists. At 1-0 in group play, the Celtics will try to remain undefeated as they hit the road to Toronto.

So far, it has been the definition of an up-and-down season for the Toronto Raptors. Ever since the first game of the season, the Raptors have yet to have a record over .500. At 5-6 on the year, the Raptors are currently in last place in a brutal Atlantic Division. Their most recent loss came to the Milwaukee Bucks. Although they lost, Scottie Barnes continued his hot start to the season. He had a near Triple-Double on the night as he finished with 29 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. With this being their first game of the in-season tournament, the Raptors will be looking to make a statement and upset the Celtics.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Celtics-Raptors Odds

Boston Celtics: -8 (-114)

Toronto Raptors: +8 (-106)

Over: 224 (-110)

Under: 224 (-110)

How to Watch Celtics vs. Raptors

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT

TV: Boston- NBC Sports Boston  Toronto- TSN

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread

With the help of the most talented starting five in the league, the Boston Celtics have excelled in the three-point shooting department this season. On 16.3 made threes per game, the Celtics have shot up the ladder to rank second in the NBA in this category. With sharpshooters throughout the roster, almost every guy on this team should not be left open beyond the arc. Boston has five players (Tatum, Brown, Hauser, White, and Porzingis) averaging 2.0 or more made threes per game. In addition to this, they have four players (Stevens, Hauser, White, and Porzingis) with a 40.0% three-point field goal percentage or better. If one guy is having an off night, it is no problem for this team, making it nearly impossible for their opponents to keep up with them.

It also helps when you have the best player on the floor. Jayson Tatum has been unbelievable so far this season. He is ninth in the league in points per game with 28.5 and tied for 13th in rebounds at 8.8. In 11 games played, he has put up a Double-Double in five of them. Additionally, he has improved dramatically on the defensive end. Although he averages only 1.0 steals per game, he had an impressive five-steal game against Minnesota earlier in the month. With Tatum on the floor, the Celtics should be hefty favorites over their opponents for good reason.

Why The Raptors Could Cover The Spread

While the starting five has been the main ingredient for success for the Celtics, the Toronto Raptors will be getting this team at a time when they will have a lot of banged-up bodies. Kristaps Porzingis, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford are all on the injury report coming into this one. These guys are listed as “Game Time Decisions” with various injuries. It does not help that the Celtics have a pretty thin bench. In their last game against Philadelphia, Boston's bench tallied only 21 of their 117 total points. In the game before that, against the Knicks, the Celtics bench scored only 19 of their 114 total points. If the Celtics are without these three heavy hitters, the Raptors will be in prime position to cover.

Due to the immense length of this Toronto team, their offensive rebounding is some of the best in the league. With big men Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl, Scottie Barnes, Chris Boucher, Precious Achiuwa, and more leading the way, opposing teams have had nightmares trying to outrebound them. The Raptors rank fifth in the league in offensive rebounds per game with 13.1, 6.3 of which are contested offensive boards. With two key big men on the injury report for Boston, look for the biggest advantage to be in the rebounding differential.

Final Celtics-Raptors Prediction & Pick

Not only an in-season tournament match but a game between two division rivals will have a lot of implications for the season ahead. Both teams have not played more than one game, so this is one both teams must win if they want to advance to the next stage in this tournament. With both sides having some pretty hefty injury reports, anything can happen. Although the Raptors have the deeper bench, I will go with the Boston Celtics in this one. They have the best player on the floor, and even if Porzingis, Brown, and Horford miss the game, this unit led by Tatum, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday will do just fine. The interior play might favor the Raptors, but the offensive and defensive firepower the Celtics have on the floor will be the deciding factor. Give me the Boston Celtics.

Final Celtics-Raptors Prediction & Pick: Boston Celtics -8 (-114)