The struggling Toronto Raptors have missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons—Avery Bradley Jersey and four of the last five. They have less than a week remaining to turn things around and put an end to this drought.

The Toronto Raptors (43-35) will continue their battle for a playoff berth when they host the Miami Heat (41-37) at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday at 7:30 PM ET. The Raptors have lost three of their last four games and are currently locked in a fierce race for the sixth—and final—direct playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They currently hold a half-game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, and Orlando Magic, while having played one fewer game.

Three of the Raptors' final four regular-season games are at home, and they have won five of their last six home contests. Toronto holds a 2-0 record against the Heat this season, though both victories were achieved on the road.

The Miami Heat are also in the mix for the Eastern Conference's sixth seed; they currently trail the Raptors by two games, with four games remaining—two of which will take place in Toronto within the next three days. The Heat recently endured a slump in which they lost seven of eight games, but they have since bounced back to win two of their last three contests.

Tuesday's NBA schedule features nine additional games, including a matchup between the Hornets (43-36) and the host Boston Celtics (53-25), set to tip off at 8:00 PM ET at TD Garden. Both teams are finishing the regular season on a strong note: the Charlotte Hornets have won four straight—and nine of their last 11 games—as they vie for a playoff berth; meanwhile, the Boston Celtics have gone 10-2 over their last 12 contests, further solidifying their hold on the second spot in the Eastern Conference.

Major League Baseball (MLB) will feature a full slate of 15 games, with 12 scheduled for the evening. One of these matchups takes place at 6:45 PM ET at Fenway Park, where the Boston Red Sox (2-8) will continue their three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers (8-2). The Red Sox dropped the series opener on Monday by a score of 6-8 and currently hold a 1-3 record through four games of their six-game homestand.

The NHL concludes a light stretch of its schedule on Monday with an 11-game slate, highlighted by an Atlantic Division showdown at the Canadian Tire Centre at 7:00 PM ET, featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning (48-23-6) against the Ottawa Senators (40-27-10). Following a 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, the Lightning are currently tied with the Sabres for the top spot in the division standings; meanwhile, the Senators hold a one-point lead over the New York Islanders for the second Eastern Conference Wild Card spot, with three other teams trailing them by three points or fewer.

According to the latest NBA consensus odds, the Raptors are favored by 1.5 points against the Heat, while the Celtics are favored by 4.5 points against the Hornets. On the MLB moneyline, the Red Sox are favored at -155 odds against the Brewers, while the Senators are favored at -131 odds to defeat the Lightning.

Toronto is striving to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 season; three of the team's final four games will be played at home, including two matchups against the Heat within a span of three days. Last season, the Raptors lost three of their four meetings with the Miami Heat, but they have won both of their matchups so far this season—both of which were played on the road. Toronto defeated Miami by 10 points on December 15, and just eight days later, they beat the Heat again by a margin of 21 points. The Raptors have won five of their last six home games, while the Heat have lost four of their last five road games. The SportsLine predictive model projects that these trends will continue, with the Raptors winning Tuesday's matchup in 62% of simulations.

In their two previous meetings this season, the combined total score of these two teams fell short of 215 points. The Hornets rank 12th in the NBA with an average of 116.5 points per game; however, during their current four-game winning streak, they have scored 117 points or more in every contest. The Celtics are exhibiting a similar trend: although their average of 114.6 points per game ranks only 21st in the league, they have scored 115 points or more in three consecutive games—all of which resulted in a victory. Consequently, the SportsLine projection model does not anticipate Tuesday's matchup to be a low-scoring affair, with its simulations indicating a nearly 59% probability of the "Over" hitting. Hornets guard LaMelo Ball racked up 35 points, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds in Sunday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves; however, SportsLine prop betting expert PropBetGuy—who holds a 168-135 record (+1,264 profit) on his last 303 NBA player prop picks—believes the 24-year-old will struggle to approach those combined statistics in the upcoming game in Boston.

In the Brewers' last five games, the winning team exceeded this scoring total on four occasions—https://www.hotheatjersey.com/bam-adebayo-jersey/ three of which resulted in a Brewers victory. The Boston Red Sox have lost their last two games by an identical 8-6 ​​scoreline, including Monday's series opener. Although Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jakob Junis has allowed just three runs over 11 innings in his first two starts this season, SportsLine's predictive model anticipates a high-scoring affair on Tuesday, as the "Over" cashed in nearly 69% of its simulations. Boston left-hander Garrett Crochet has yet to complete six innings in any start this season; SportsLine prop betting expert PropBetGuy (who has successfully hit 5 of his last 6 MLB player prop picks, yielding a net return of +381) believes this trend will persist as Crochet faces a Brewers lineup known for driving up opposing pitchers' pitch counts—all while playing in cold weather conditions.

Both teams rank among the top 10 in the NHL for scoring, with the Lightning sitting third with 275 goals and the Senators tied for eighth with 255. On Sunday, the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes combined for a total of nine goals; meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning are set to play their second game in as many nights—having fallen 2-4 to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday in the opener of a four-game road trip. The SportsLine predictive model suggests that these two Atlantic Division rivals should have little trouble finding the back of the net, with simulations indicating a nearly 59% probability that the total combined goals in this matchup will exceed the set over/under line. Although the Lightning defeated the Senators at home less than two weeks ago, SportsLine expert Matt Severance (who boasts a 42-27 record—yielding a net profit of +832—in his last 69 NHL moneyline picks) favors Ottawa to avenge that loss and continue their push for a playoff berth.