Toronto Raptors (40-40, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (55-25, second in the Eastern Conference)
Boston; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Boston hosts Toronto trying to prolong its five-game home winning streak.
The Celtics have gone 32-18 against Eastern Conference teams. Boston is second in the Eastern Conference scoring 117.9 points while shooting 47.5% from the field.
The Raptors are 25-25 against conference opponents. Toronto ranks second in the league with 12.8 offensive rebounds per game led by Jakob Poeltl averaging 3.3.
The two teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Celtics defeated the Raptors 97-93 in their last matchup on April 5. Malcolm Brogdon led the Celtics with 29 points, and Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 28 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jaylen Brown is scoring 26.6 points per game with 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Celtics. Derrick White is averaging 15.9 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 46.4% over the last 10 games for Boston.
Siakam is scoring 24.3 points per game with 7.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists for the Raptors. Fred VanVleet is averaging 19.9 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 38.1% over the past 10 games for Toronto.
LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 7-3, averaging 120.3 points, 46.3 rebounds, 28.1 assists, 6.8 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.6 points per game.
Raptors: 6-4, averaging 113.6 points, 44.2 rebounds, 25.9 assists, 9.8 steals and 5.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.8 points.
INJURIES: Celtics: Danilo Gallinari: out (knee), Marcus Smart: out (neck), Al Horford: out (back), Payton Pritchard: out (heel), Jayson Tatum: out (hip).
Raptors: Otto Porter Jr.: out for season (foot).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
