Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics Prediction & Match Preview - October 22nd, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22

The Boston Celtics will play host to the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden on Friday evening.

The Celtics fell to the New York Knicks in a nail-biting double-OT thriller on opening day. Meanwhile, the Raptors kicked off their regular-season campaign with a 98-83 loss to the Washington Wizards.

Both teams will be desperate to get their first win when they clash against each other at the end of the week.

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Match Details

Fixture: Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics | NBA Season 2021-22

Date & Time: Friday, October 22nd; 7:30 PM ET (Saturday, October 23rd; 5:00 AM IST)

Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA

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Toronto Raptors Preview

After beating the Washington Wizards during their final preseason game, the Toronto Raptors fell to Wes Unseld Jr.'s side in their regular-season opener.

The Raptors' long-awaited return to Toronto was ruined by the loss. They trailed by as many as 29 points at one point during the game.

Next in line for the Toronto Raptors are the mighty Boston Celtics, who will undoubtedly be tougher to beat.

OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet need to bounce back from their abysmal shooting performance against the Wizards. The rest of the starting lineup also needs to produce more.

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Key Player - OG Anunoby

OG Anunoby is expected to have a breakout year this season

OG Anunoby averaged career-high scoring stats last year. After Kyle Lowry's departure this offseason, he is the leading man for the Toronto Raptors' scoring unit.

OG unexpectedly failed to find his stroke in the first game and shot a dismal 3-17 from the floor for a mere 11-point contribution. In 34 minutes of play time, he missed seven of his nine three-point attempts and was a -21 when on the court.

Although the 24-year-old had 10 boards, 2 steals and a block, more was expected from him, especially in Pascal Siakam's absence.

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Toronto Raptors Predicted Lineup

G - Fred VanVleet; G - Goran Dragic; F - OG Anunoby; F - Scottie Barnes; C - Precious Achiuwa

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Boston Celtics Preview

The Boston Celtics are likely fuming after they suffered a heart-wrenching double-OT loss at the Madison Square Garden to start their 2021-22 NBA season.

With Jayson Tatum shooting 2-15 from the three-point line, it was only natural that the game would go down to the wire.

Although Jaylen Brown's fiery performance did help, the Celtics just couldn't catch up to the surging Knicks down the stretch, eventually succumbing to a 138-134 loss.

However, there are still 81 games to go, and there is a lot of time for this young core to find their stride.

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Key Player - Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are turning into a bonafide All-Star duo

The only positive that came out of the Boston Celtics' season opener was Jaylen Brown's performance. The 24-year-old dropped 46 points, which included a spectacular three-pointer in the dying minutes of the fourth period. He also registered 9 boards, 6 dimes and 3 steals.

Greatness is expected from Brown, and a major breakout year is due. It is only a matter of time before he steps outside the shadow of Jayson Tatum and makes a name for himself.

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Boston Celtics Predicted Lineup

G - Jaylen Brown; G - Marcus Smart; F - Grant Williams; F - Jayson Tatum; C - Robert Williams III

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Raptors vs Celtics Match Prediction

The Boston Celtics are expected to crawl out of their shooting slump and take care of business when the Toronto Raptors visit them.

The Raptors just don't have enough firepower to outscore the Celtics. They will likely leave Boston with another loss.

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Where to watch Raptors vs Celtics

The NBA preseason game between the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics will be televised locally on NBC Sports Boston and Sportsnet One. You can also live-stream this matchup via the NBA League Pass.