A heated battle is raging in the NBA's Eastern Conference Semifinals. Last season's champs, the Toronto Raptors, fell behind in the early stages of their series against the Boston Celtics, 0-2. The situation looked bleak for the Raptors, but they fought back, staving off elimination multiple times. Now, after a 125-122 Game 6 victory in double-overtime, the Raptors have evened the series at three games apiece.

In this piece, we'll make several predictions for the impending Game 7 matchup between the two sides.

Dynamic Duo

The Celtics have two of the more talented scorers in the league in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The two stars have played well throughout the series, but the Celtics will need everything they can offer in the coming closeout game.

Tatum and Brown combined for 60 points in Wednesday night's Game 6 loss, which was nearly half of Boston's overall tally. Brown led the charge for Beantown, racking up 31 points and an impressive 16 rebounds. Tatum finished just one assist shy of a triple-double, scoring 29 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.

Though they were defeated in Game 6, Brown and the Celtics feel good about their chances in Game 7:

“We had a lot of opportunities down the stretch and we didn't take care of the all as good as we needed to,” Brown said after Game 6 against the Raptors, via ESPN. “That's fine. We're heading into a Game 7. We feel good about ourselves.”

The Celtics will be playing in a Game 7 for the 33rd time. According to ESPN, they're 23-9 all-time in those cases — but have lost four of their last seven ultimate games.

Our prediction: Brown and Tatum run it back, combining for 60 again.

Feeling (Marcus) Smart

Celtics guard Marcus Smart is known for his scrappy style of play. This aspect of his game was on full display in Game 6, as the former 6th overall pick finished with the first playoff triple-double of his career.

In a whopping 50 minutes of action, Smart scored 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field (6-of-11 from beyond the arc), 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Unfortunately for Boston, he missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game with roughly three seconds remaining in the second overtime frame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy86sZlQUyc&feature=youtu.be

Our prediction: Smart keeps his foot on the gas in Game 7, scoring at least 20 points. Aside from offensive production, we're also looking for Marcus to continue applying pressure on the defensive end of the floor.

Box-and-one

Raptors head coach Nick Nurse used a particular variant of defense against Celtics point guard Kemba Walker in Game 6. It's known as “box-and-one,” which is basically a four-man zone around the paint, with a dedicated man-to-man player roaming the perimeter. The idea is to shut down one player. In this case, it was Walker.

With this defense in place, Walker was held to just five points and seven assists in 52 minutes of action. He went 2-of-11 from the field and 1-of-6 from downtown. His plus/minus score? Minus-7.

Our prediction: The Celtics will adjust to this strategy, allowing Walker to be the efficient scorer and facilitator that he is. Kemba goes for 20 points and eight assists in Game 7.

Pascal's redemption

Raptors forward Pascal Siakam has struggled to find an offensive rhythm in recent games, scoring just 10 points in Game 5 and 12 in Game 6. If Toronto wants to finish off this comeback effort, they'll need Siakam's production.

Our prediction: Pascal silences his critics with an efficient 15-point double-double effort in Game 7.

Lowry loads up

Kyle Lowry gave everything he had in Game 6, leading the Raptors with 33 points on six 3-pointers made, eight rebounds and six assists in 53 minutes of play. He's been a force for Toronto throughout this series, and we're looking for more of the same in Game 7.

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Lowry actually played most of his 53 minutes in Game 6 with three stitches in his chin, as he took an elbow from Brad Wanamaker in the second quarter.

“Three beautiful stitches,” Raptors veteran Lowry joked, via SI.com. “Doc did a beautiful job.”

Our prediction: Lowry reloads with another 30-point effort.

Relentless Raptors

The Raptors have put forth an inspiring effort in the Eastern Conference Semis. They simply will not relent, even in the face of elimination.

Relevant stat, via ESPN:

Game 6 was the first time that a team went multiple overtimes and won to stave off elimination in a best-of-seven series since April 30, 2009 — when Chicago forced Game 7 by beating Boston 128-127 in triple OT.

Our prediction: By committee, the Raptors complete their come-from-behind effort with a 115-110 victory in Game 7 to continue their quest of defending the Larry O'Brien trophy.