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The Toronto Raptors get a taste of the Big Apple when they hit the road and face the New York Knicks on Thursday at the fabled Madison Square Garden.
The Raptors are closing in on their fifth Atlantic Division title in six years. At 52-23, they are most probably a lock for the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference as they are four games behind the top seeded Bucks and 4.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers in the Atlantic Division. Toronto doesn’t really need to win this game badly but this should be another important dress rehearsal for Nick Nurse and his team.
Raptors
-775
Knicks
+490
Odds from betonline.ag as of 3/28/19
The Knicks are in the midst of another terrible season. New York ended up trading Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline and now injuries are piling up and are hurting the Knicks even though they have been ousted from contention. Dennis Smith Jr has missed the last six games with a back back, Allonzo Trier has been out for three games with a strained calf and Noah Vonleh is also out of action in the last five games with a sprained right ankle. Walking wounded, David Fizdale has a huge task ahead of him on Thursday.
Who Wins?
Toronto is 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played. The Raptors are 3-2 SU in their last five games on the road. New York is 1-9 SU in their last 10 games played. The Knicks are 1-4 SU in their last five home games. Head to head, the Raptors are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games played. Toronto is also 6-1 SU in their last 10 road games against New York.
The Raptors are just 3-2 SU in their last five games and for a team as good as them, that’s already considered “struggling”. Meanwhile, the Knicks are 1-4 SU in their last five games played and are only 7-29 SU at home. The Raptors are 22-14 SU on the road this season. I don’t expect much resistance from the Knicks on Thursday. Toronto should pick up a routine road win here. I’m picking the Toronto Raptors to beat the New York Knicks on 3/28/19.
Other Bets To Make
The Raptors are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games played. Toronto is 3-2 ATS in their last five game on the road. The Knicks are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games played and New York is 1-4 ATS in their last five games at home. Head to head, the Raptors are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against the Knicks. However, the Knicks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games against the Raptors.
Raptors
-11.5 (-110)
Knicks
+11.5 (-110)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 3/28/19
New York is 1-5 ATS in their last six games after scoring at least 100 points in their previous game, 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against an opponent with a winning road record and 0-4 ATS in their last four games after allowing 100 or more points in their previous game. The Knicks have lost their last nine games by an average of 13.5 points per game. I don’t expect New York to put up much of a fight here either. Prediction: Raptors -11.5
The over is 7-2-1 in the Raptors’ last 10 games played. The over is 5-0 in Toronto’s last five games on the road. The total has gone under in six out of the last 10 games played by the Knicks. The over is 3-2 in New York’s last five games played at home. Head to head, the under is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings between these teams and the under is 4-2 in New York’s last six home games against Toronto.
Raptors
O 216 -110
Knicks
U 216 -110
Odds from betonline.ag as of 3/28/19
The over is 6-1 in Toronto’s last seven games against their Eastern Conference rivals. The total has gone over in four out of their last five games after their opponent allowed at least 100 points in their previous game. The over is also 9-1-1 in Toronto’s last 11 games after a straight up win. The over is also 5-0-1 in Toronto’s last five games. The Raptors are the 9th highest scoring team in the league while the Knicks are the 6th worst scoring defense in the NBA. I expect the Raptors to pour on the points here and carry the total to the over. Prediction: Over 216
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