The NBA regular season continues with games on Wednesday. The Toronto Raptors will travel to take on the Dallas Mavericks. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Raptors-Mavericks prediction and pick.
These two teams have had somewhat similar starts to the season. The Toronto Raptors have a record of 21-20 and have lost three of their last four games. While the Dallas Mavericks are 25-19 and have won nine of their last ten games. This should be a good game between two teams trending in different directions.
Here are the Raptors-Mavericks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Raptors-Mavericks Odds
Toronto Raptors: +3.5 (-106)
Dallas Mavericks: -3.5 (-114)
Over: 208 (-110)
Under: 208 (-110)
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Why The Raptors Could Cover The Spread
The Toronto Raptors have had somewhat of an underwhelming start to the year. Like everyone else, they have had to deal with injuries and COVID absences. Through the first half of the season, they have barely managed to squeak out a winning record with only 21 wins and 20 losses. On top of that, Toronto has lost three of their last four games. The Raptors are fresh off a five-point loss to the Miami Heat but will look to turn things around on Wednesday. Toronto could steal this one on the road, they just need to kick things up a notch.
The Raptors actually played a very solid game against the Heat. Toronto and Miami were nearly even across all metrics. However, the Heat ended with a seven-point free throw advantage that ultimately accounted for the win. The Raptors only made 12 of their 17 shots from the stripe compared to Miami who made 19 of 22. If Toronto wants to start winning games they need to capitalize on every opportunity they get. They did a fine job of getting to the line and taking good shots, but they just came up short. If they are going to beat Dallas then they can't waste any opportunity.
Both injuries and COVID have affected this team throughout the season. However, the Raptors currently only have three players listed on their injury report. Of those three players, Gary Trent Jr. is listed as questionable. Regardless of whether or not he plays, Toronto has most of their roster intact and should be able to battle on Wednesday. Only seven players saw the floor for the Raptors in their last game. While they may have a limited roster, they have a lot of talent and potential. The Raptors might just pull off this upset.
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Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread
The Dallas Mavericks have had a rollercoaster of a year thus far. It seems like one of their best guys is always injured, whether it's Luka or Porzingis, the stars have rarely aligned for this team. However, through the first half of the season, they have managed to win 25 games and lose only 19. Additionally, they are on an impressive run and have won nine of their last ten games. Their most recent victory came over the Oklahoma City Thunder by two. That was actually a severe underperformance from Dallas, who should have dominated the Thunder. The Mavs will look to improve on that performance on Wednesday and keep on rolling.
Dallas allowed the Thunder to claw their way back into their last game. At halftime, the Mavs were up 11 points and looked like they were going to steamroll OKC. However, to the Thunder's credit, OKC battled in the second half and almost came back to win it. The main reason this happened was because of Dallas' poor shooting. The Mavs shot less than 40% from the field and less than 80% from the free-throw line. Usually, the Mavs are hitting shots at a higher rate, but they played down to their opponent's level. While the Mavs may have gotten the win, they will need to play better against Toronto.
One of the biggest things going this team's way right now is their health. Dallas currently has only two players listed on their injury report, both of which are day-to-day and questionable for Wednesday's game. Now that the Mavs have had their best guys available they have shown that they are a competitive team. The Mavericks, when healthy, can compete with the top teams in the league. If they don't play down to Toronto, then Dallas should be able to claim another win.
Final Raptors-Mavericks Prediction & Pick
This pick is not too difficult. While Dallas may have only beaten the Thunder by two points, they still got the win and have had some very impressive victories. The Mavs have taken down the Bulls at full health, the Warriors, the Grizzlies, and the list goes on. The last game was likely an outlier for Dallas and they should have no problem bouncing back against the Raptors. Pick the Mavericks to win and cover and get ready for a big night in Dallas.
FINAL RAPTORS-MAVERICKS PICK: Dallas Mavericks -3.5 (-114)
FINAL RAPTORS-MAVERICKS SCORE PREDICTION: Mavericks 108 – Raptors 99
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