We're back with another prediction and pick for today's full slate of action from around the NBA. We'll head north of the border to Canada as the Portland Trail Blazers (0-3) take on the Toronto Raptors (1-2). Check out our NBA odds series for our Trail Blazers-Raptors prediction and pick.

The Portland Trail Blazers are still winless after losing their last game 98-126 to the Philadelphia 76ers. It was their second double-digit loss in three games and they're immediately feeling the youth of their lineup against more experienced teams. Still, look for them to fight hard in trying to gain their first win.

The Toronto Raptors are 1-2 and lost their most recent game 107-114 to the Philadelphia 76ers. After almost toppling the Bulls in overtime, the Raptors will now try to avoid a third-straight loss. They certainly put up a better fight against Philly than their opponents did, so expect the Raptors to be confident as home favorites heading into this game.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Trail Blazers-Raptors Odds

Portland Trail Blazers: +8.5 (-108)

Toronto Raptors: -8.5 (-112)

Over: 216.5 (-110)

Under: 216.5 (-110)

How to Watch Trail Blazers vs. Raptors

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT

TV: YouTube TV, NBA League Pass

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Trail Blazers Could Cover The Spread

The Trail Blazers and their fans knew that there would be growing pains while watching this young team develop, but the early loss of Anfernee Simons for 4-6 weeks to surgery has certainly thrown a huge wrench in their gears. He's emerged as one of their purer scorers over the last few years and his experience could have went a long way in helping rookies like Scoot Henderson come into their own. Still, Shaedon Sharpe has stepped up in a massive way and has become their top scorer through three games.

To have a chance at covering this spread, the Trail Blazers will have to play moe like a cohesive unit. With their lack of chemistry early into the season, they're forcing themselves into too many one-on-one situations on offense. As a relatively smaller team, they'll need to utilize more of their ball movement. The Raptors have always been a solid team on defense, so the Trail Blazers will have to get more creative and get the ball swinging in this one.

Why The Raptors Could Cover The Spread

While the Raptors fell in their last two games to the 76ers and Bulls, they displayed grit down the stretch and had consecutive solid performances on the defensive end of the floor. As a team, they're averaging six blocks a game and Scottie Barnes has been making an impact guarding every position on the floor. With Pascal Siakam and Chris Boucher also playing great defense, the Raptors are very capable of frustrating better teams and forcing them to play their style of basketball. The Raptors will be the much longer team here, so expect their presence to immediately be felt on defense.

To cover this spread as favorites, the Raptors should look to continue focusing on defense. They did a fairly good job of containing Joel Embiid through the first half of their last game and not many other 76ers were able to get anything going. The Bulls also had a number of scoring droughts and were visibly frustrated by the active defense of the Raptors. If they can force Portland into a few bad shooting stretches, they should be able to hop out to a lead early and protect it throughout this game.

Final Trail Blazers-Raptors Prediction & Pick

The Portland Trail Blazers haven't looked very good to start the season and they're clearly not as good without Anfernee Simons scoring the ball for them. However, if Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson can run the floor and ignite this offense, they could have a chance to see some success scoring the ball.

However, Toronto is already priding themselves on playing teams very hard defensively and their efforts have kept them competitive in games heading into the fourth quarter. If this game ends up being close, we like Toronto's chances to pull away late and cover this spread. Let's take the Raptors for our final prediction.

Final Trail Blazers-Raptors Prediction & Pick: Toronto Raptors -8.5 (-112)