Celtics-Raptors-Game-5

The Boston Celtics look to thwart the Toronto Raptor’s momentum and regain control of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Game 5 and the Monday NBA Playoff odds are slowly shifting back in the Raptors’ favor. In the nightcap, the Clippers are favored by 8.5 points to beat the Nuggets and take a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Rob Dauster breaks down the Monday NBA Playoff odds for Celtics-Raptors and Clippers-Nuggets including moneyline, spread, over/under, and player props. BetRivers.com is proud to provide over 150 live betting options per game throughout the entirety of the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

Monday NBA Playoff Odds: BOSTON CELTICS vs. TORONTO RAPTORS

  • Game 5: 6:40 p.m. ET, TNT
  • MONEYLINE: Celtics -120, Raptors +102
  • SPREAD: Boston -1.5 (-110), Raptors +1.5 (-109)
  • TOTAL: 212 (-112/-109)
  • IMPLIED SCORE: Boston 106.75, Toronto 105.25

This series could very easily — and probably should be — 3-1 right now. If it wasn’t for a miracle three from OG Anunoby with 0.5 seconds left on the clock at the end of Game 3, the Raptors would have found themselves in the same position as the Bucks were entering Labor Day Weekend.

That, of course, is not the way that it played out, but I do think that it is worth noting here that in the Game 4 win, the Celtics should just 7-for-35 from three as a team with starters Jayston Tatum, Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart combining to shoot just 5-for-29 from distance. 

The question you have to ask yourself is this: How much of that shooting performance had to do with Boston going through an off-night, and how much of it was a result of Nick Nurse working his magic? The Celtics managed all of 20 points in the fourth quarter of Game 4 as Toronto worked through a series of junk defenses, throwing a box-and-1 and a triangle-and-2 at Boston like this is a high school game. 

This is where I note that Toronto has won the third quarter of every game in this series. Brad Stevens is awesome, but Nurse is showing why he’s the NBA Coach of the Year. I fully expect another tactical battle on Monday night, one where defense reigns supreme yet again. 

One more thing to note: This line has moved quite a bit. It opened at Toronto (-1) and has steamed all the way to Boston (-1.5). The betting public seems to think that the Celtics’ shooting woes are going to go away in Game 5, which means that at the time this was written, Toronto — the No. 2-seed in the East and a team that finished five games in front of Boston — is sitting at (+102) on the moneyline. 

Monday NBA Playoff Odds: LA CLIPPERS vs. DENVER NUGGETS

  • Game 3: 9:10 p.m. ET, TNT
  • MONEYLINE: Clippers -420, Nuggets +330
  • SPREAD: Clippers -8.5 (-110), Nuggets +8.5 (-110)
  • OVER/UNDER: 220.5 (-108/-113)
  • IMPLIED SCORE: Clippers 114, Denver 105.5

After looking completely exhausted in a blowout loss in Game 1 of this series, the Nuggets came out absolutely scorching in Game 2. They scored 44 of their 110 points during a first quarter in which they shot 7-10 from three and 67 percent from the floor en route to opening up a 21-point lead. They led by as many as 23 points early in the second quarter, but it didn’t end up being all that easy of a win.

The Clippers cut the lead to five points in the fourth despite the fact that Kawhi Leonard shot 4-17 from the floor, went scoreless in the fourth quarter, and finished with just 13 points. It was the first time in these playoffs that he did not score at least 29 points, and it was his lowest postseason output since he scored 13 points in the 2016 Playoffs, 52 postseason games ago.

That’s what it took for the Nuggets not to blow a 23-point lead.

I don’t think that the Nuggets are going to be able to have another 44-point first quarter, and I don’t think that their legs are going to last for 48 minutes. The public seems to agree, as the Clippers have moved from (-7.5) to (-8.5) since the line opened. Expect another defensive battle, as both games in this series have gone under the total.