The Toronto Raptors will pay a visit to the State Farm Arena to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Raptors-Hawks prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
The Toronto Raptors had a disastrous 125-93 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in their first game back after the All-Star break. Toronto looked flat out of the gates while Charlotte put on a dominant display, leading by as much as 41 points at one point near the end of the third quarter. Despite getting blown out of the Spectrum Center, rookie sensation Scottie Barnes poured in a career-high 28 points on 13-of-18 shooting. Only he and Gary Trent Jr. (12) scored in double-figures for the Raptors.
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Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks became the latest victim of the DeMar DeRozan Show as the Bulls star buried them with another of his late-game heroics to lift Chicago to a 122-118 win on Friday night. Bogdan Bogdanovic led the way with 27 points off the bench while Danilo Gallinari, who started for the injured John Collins, added 26 points and nine rebounds. Trae Young struggled mightily in his first game back from the February intermission. He shot just 3-of-17 from the field but still managed to finish with a double-double: 14 points and 10 assists.
This is a face-off between two teams that could potentially see each other in the play-in tournament. Both Toronto and Atlanta are coming off similarly crushing losses, though in different fashions.
Here is how FanDuel has set the Raptors-Hawks NBA odds for this Saturday night NBA matchup.
NBA odds: Raptors-Hawks Odds
Toronto Raptors: +2.5 (-108)
Atlanta Hawks: -2.5 (-112)
Over: 224.5 (-110)
Under: 224.5 (-110)
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Why the Raptors could cover the spread
Toronto just had one of their ugliest losses this season and that could very well have been just a case of rust from the layoff. With a game under their belt — and a disastrous one at that — the Raptors may be motivated to put on a better show to flush Friday's performance down the drain.
Toronto was one of the hotter teams prior to the break, going 11-4 over their last 15. They even won eight straight games before dropping two of their last three contests. Now 1-3 since that winning streak, two of those came in the form of 30-point blowouts.
The Raptors have yet to turn in their injury report for Saturday's game, but it is already a certainty that forward O.G. Anunoby won't suit up against the Hawks. Anunoby reportedly suffered a fractured right ring finger. Toronto has yet to specify an official timetable for the 24-year old forward.
Fred VanVleet has also been playing through knee soreness, which is a cause for concern for Raptors fans. It is clear that the first time All-Star is laboring out there. With Toronto still hoping to get into the top six and avoid going through the play-in, they're in a somewhat tight situation on how to deal with FanVleet's knee issue. In addition, Pascal Siakam was also reportedly dealing with flu-like symptoms the afternoon before the Charlotte game.
The Raptors are 32-26 on the season and are 1.5 games behind the scorching Boston Celtics for the no. 6 seed. They are 16-13 on the road and 21-15 against Eastern Conference teams. Against the spread, Toronto is at 33-24. They are 32-26 on the moneyline and 31-27 on the over/under.
Why the Hawks could cover the spread
With about two months to go in the regular season, the Atlanta Hawks are chasing for every win they possibly can. This is why Friday's defeat was such a heartbreaker as it could have inched them closer to the 9th seed Hornets, who just blew out their Saturday night foes the night before.
Trae Young didn't have a good first game back since being named to his second All-Star selection. He should be able to bounce back and shoot much better from the field after an awful 3-of-17 night in a four-point loss to the no. 2 seed Bulls.
Atlanta has listed forward Deandre Hunter as probable due to illness ahead of Saturday's game versus Toronto. He played just 12 minutes against Chicago. Meanwhile, John Collins is still out for the Hawks as he continues to recover from a strained right foot. Collins missed the last three games prior to the All-Star break due to the injury. Lou Williams is also out due to left hip discomfort.
Atlanta is 28-31 this season and is clinging to the 10th seed in the East, which at least gives them a shot at making the postseason. They are 17-13 at the State Farm Arena and 17-19 against East teams. The Hawks hold a 26-33 record against the spread, 28-31 on the moneyline, and 32-27 on the over/under.
Final Raptors-Hawks prediction and pick
This is a tough call given how close the odds are. But it might be safer to go with the Hawks as they have been playing better basketball as of late. They won their last two games before the break and almost took down the 2nd seed Bulls just two nights ago. Meanwhile, Toronto just suffered two 30-point losses over its last three games. They are also clearly dealing with some health concerns.
Final Raptors-Hawks Prediction & Pick: Hawks: -2.5 (-112)
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