Celtics Look To Keep Winning Streak Intact Against Raptors On Saturday

Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics — Jaylen Brown will have to step up for the Celtics with Jayson Tatum not playing against the Raptors on Saturday, Jan. 21. Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

Jayson Tatum of the Celtics listed out against the Raptors on Saturday, Jan. 21
Celtics hold the regular season series edge over the Raptors, 1-0
The Raptors need to push selves against Celtics, take advantage of Tatum's absence

The Toronto Raptors are looking for answers to their skid but it appears checking their losing spell will not be easy.

They are set to host the streaking Boston Celtics on Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Scotiabank Arena and the odds are stacked against them.

The Raptors have lost two games in a row, the last of which was a heartbreaking 126-18 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Scottie Barnes led the losing cause of the Raptors with 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Backing him up was Fred VanVleet who finished with a double-double of 25 points and 10 assists.

"We struggled to stop them all night," VanVleet said. "They got hot and we kind of stalled out a little bit there the last couple minutes."

The Raptors hold an offensive rating of 113.7, 14th in the league. On the defensive side, they tote a 113.6 which is 19th in the league.

For the Celtics, snagging win No. 9 may be within reach. However, they may have to pull it off without resident star Jayson Tatum who has been listed as out for the match due to left wrist soreness, according to Boston Globe writer Gary Washburn.

With Tatum out, the Cs will miss his numbers of 31.2 points per game on 46.8% shooting.

Boston is coming off a hard-earned overtime win over the Golden State Warriors, 121-118.

Tatum dropped 34 points in that game alongside 19 rebounds and six assists. Al Horford chipped in 20 points and 10 rebounds while Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown added 18 and 16 points respectively.

"You know, I wanted to come out here, and I wanted to win. I wanted to win really bad," Horford said. "It's a regular season. It's just one game. It's over. But it's an important game."

The Celtics own an offensive rating of 117.5, second in the league. It remains to be seen if the absence of Tatum will alter this on Saturday.

They hold a defensive rating of 113.5, fifth in the league.

The Celtics remain -2 favorites to prevail over the Raptors who are at +2. The Moneyline set for this showdown is -130 for Boston and +110 for Toronto.

The Raptors prep for the visiting Celtics on Saturday at the Scotiabank Arena with the game set to start at 5:00 p.m. E.T. The clash can be viewed via NBA League Pass with live streaming also available via fuboTV.