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The NBA regular season continues with games on Monday. The Toronto Raptors will travel to take on the Miami Heat. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Raptors-Heat prediction and pick.
These two teams have had somewhat similar starts to the season. The Toronto Raptors are 21-19 and are coming off a solid win. While the Miami Heat are 27-16 and have won four of their last five games. This should be a solid match up between two competitive teams.
Here are the Raptors-Heat NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Raptors-Heat Odds
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Toronto Raptors: +3 (-110)
Miami Heat: -3 (-110)
Over: 207 (-108)
Under: 207 (-112)
Why The Raptors Could Cover The Spread
The Toronto Raptors have had an interesting start to the year. They have had to deal with injuries and COVID, like everyone else, but all things considered have had a good start. Through the first half of the season the Raptors have barely managed to claim a winning record with 21 wins and 19 losses. Toronto is coming off a solid seven point victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors will look to carry that same energy and momentum into a tough matchup on Monday. The Heat are a good team and this won't be easy for Toronto. If the Raptors want to win they will need to play even better than they did against the Bucks.
The Raptors were able to take down the reigning NBA champions because of their defense. Milwaukee struggled to get anything going offensively in that game, and that was in large part due to the Raptors defense. The Bucks shot awfully in that game, making only 26 of their 77 field goal attempts. What allowed Milwaukee to keep that game close was how they took advantage of Toronto's aggression on defense. The Bucks went to the line 35 times that game and made 32 of those free throws. While the Raptors defense won them the game, their aggression almost cost them the game too. It will be interesting to see the Raptors try and balance this against the Heat.
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While many teams are suffering due to COVID, the Raptors currently only have three players listed on their injury report. None of those players are new additions and one of them, Gary Trent, is actually listed as Questionable for Monday's match. The Raptors still have the core players available and should be able to make this game competitive. If Gary Trent is available that would be a very nice addition for this game. Toronto is a scrappy team and they could definitely come out ahead on Monday.
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
The Miami Heat have had a very good start to the year. Through the first half of the season they have managed to win 27 games and lose only 16. The Heat have won four of their last five games, but are coming off a disappointing loss. Miami was defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers by 11 on Saturday. The Heat will look to bounce back on Monday as they face another competitive team. Miami should be able to pull this win off, they just need to get back on track. If they can improve on their last performance and play the way they have been most of the season, then they should get this win.
The Heat were dominated by Sixers for one reason, poor shooting. Miami struggled all game to get things going offensively. Ultimately, they only made 38% of their field goal attempts and 26% of their three pointers. This is a huge difference from even the game prior where they shot 53% from the field and 47% from the three. This last game was likely an outlier, and while the Heat might not have dominant efficiency, they will likely put in a better performance on Monday. Expect Miami to bounce back and to start hitting more of their shots.
One of the biggest limiting factors for this team is COVID and injuries. The Heat currently have five players listed on their injury report. Headlining the unavailable players is Kyle Lowry, who is listed as out for Monday. Of the players on the injury report, one is listed as questionable. Bam Adebayo will likely be returning to action on Monday for the first time since November. This is a huge addition for the Heat who lost their big man due to a thumb injury. While his playing time may be limited, Adebayo's return could give this team the push it needs to start making a serious run.
Final Raptors-Heat Prediction & Pick
This is an interesting one. The Raptors could pull off this win. Toronto has a solid roster and have actually looked pretty good lately. However, the Heat might just have the edge. Miami finally has Jimmy Butler back, and while he may have struggled in their last game, once he finds his groove this Heat team could be scary. Additionally, now that Bam Adebayo is back, the Heat are finally filling their gaps and are looking like a top team. With that said, pick Miami to win and cover.
FINAL RAPTORS-HEAT PICK: Miami Heat -3 (-110)
FINAL RAPTORS-HEAT SCORE PREDICTION: Heat 110 – Raptors 104
