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The Toronto Raptors will take on the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Raptors-Nuggets prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
Toronto is coming off a massive victory over the Phoenix Suns, the team with the best record in the NBA, on Friday night. The Raptors leaned on an explosive 42-point night from Gary Trent Jr. and also got 25 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists from Pascal Siakam.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets just suffered a 113-102 defeat to the Golden State Warriors last Thursday. Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic still put up numbers with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, but it wasn't the masterpiece performances we've seen from him throughout the course of the season.
These two teams last faced off exactly a month ago on February 12 at a crowd-less Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, with the Nuggets winning by the skin of their teeth, 110-109. Jokic almost blew it for Denver with a couple of missed late-game free throws. But he came up huge in the end with a crucial block on a potential winning put-back layup by OG Anunoby.
Here is how FanDuel has set the Raptors-Nuggets NBA odds for this Saturday night NBA matchup.
NBA Odds: Raptors-Nuggets Odds
Toronto Raptors: +6 (-108)
Denver Nuggets: -6 (-112)
Over: 223.5 (-108)
Under: 223.5 (-112)
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Why the Raptors could cover the spread
The Raptors are entering this game with a ton of confidence after they left Phoenix with a massive win. Trent tied a season-high with 42 points and eight three-pointers. More importantly, he also broke out of a major funk. The 23-year old struggled mightily coming out of the All-Star break. He averaged just 13.9 points and shot just 30.2 percent from the field and 22.6 percent from the field in eight games prior to Friday. For a streaky shooter like Trent, all he needs is just one big game to light up the fuse once again for a hot stretch of games.
Meanwhile, Pascal Siakam has been playing at an All-NBA level over Toronto's last five outings. Through that stretch, Spicy P is averaging 26.2 points and 7.6 rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from the floor. The Raptors also got a major reinforcement back recently with All-Star guard Fred VanVleet returning from a five-game absence due to knee issues earlier this week.
The Raptors have a pretty solid ATS record at 36-29. They've been able to keep games closer than they initially start, as they've consistently shown an ability to fight back from big deficits early in the game. Nick Nurse's squad may be underdogs, but this team has proven to be a gritty bunch that will always have a chance to stick around in a close outing.
Toronto has yet to release its injury report. Nonetheless, what we do know is that OG Anunoby (finger fracture) and Malachi Flynn (hamstring) are both out indefinitely for the foreseeable future.
Why the Nuggets could cover the spread
Despite finishing with a near triple-double, Nikola Jokic had a pretty quiet performance against the Warriors. That's just the kind of player Jokic is now — we expect greatness from him on a nightly basis. Sure, the Raptors have an army of lengthy and disruptive wings that could make life difficult for the Serbian. But the 6-foot-11, 284-pound center may just be too big to handle for any of the bodies Toronto decides to throw at him. Double-teaming also isn't much of a choice as Jokic is elite at locating the open man and dropping a pin-point dime for an easy shot.
The Joker has done a magnificent job in keeping the Nuggets afloat, despite dealing with major injuries to his co-stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. throughout the season. That's the reason why he is a favorite to bring home his second straight Maurice Podoloff trophy.
Aside from the obvious Murray and Porter, the Nuggets have also listed Aaron Gordon (foot) and Will Barton (ankle) as questionable heading into this game. Gordon was also uncertain heading into Thursday's contest versus the Warriors but wound up playing 31 minutes. Barton, meanwhile, missed his third straight game. Bones Hyland is also probable with right knee soreness, so keep an eye out if the rookie will be available to give the Nuggets an offensive spark off the bench.
Final Raptors-Nuggets Prediction & Pick
The Nuggets should be the pick here. Yes, Toronto is coming off a confidence-boosting win against the Suns, but it might have also taken a lot out of them. Though their schedule has been brutal, the Nuggets had a day off to recoup, which should give Nikola Jokic enough energy to put up another MVP performance.
Final Raptors-Nuggets Prediction & Pick: Nuggets: -6 (-112)
