The ailing Raptors travel to Phoenix on Thursday night to face the equally ailing Suns (9 p.m. ET/Sportsnet). Today, we’ll dive into this cross-conference matchup, uncover the odds, and share our best bets and props.
On Tuesday night, these teams got diametrically opposed results, as the Suns went on a huge 26-3 run in the second quarter and scored a huge overtime victory against the Nuggets and the Raptors were completely destroyed 139-98 by the Pelicans.
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Phoenix continues without Devin Booker (ankle), but Kevin Durant has stepped up with the improved stats of sharpshooters Grayson Allen and Bradley Beal.
The Raptors are even more shorthanded, with Scottie Barnes suffering a broken hand last weekend and now big man Jakob Poeltl undergoing surgery on an injured finger. Kudos to the new-look Raps, who looked promising early in the roster shakeup.
It may not be the greatest game of all time, but it will certainly provide us with plenty of profitable betting opportunities. Let’s run the odds and reveal our best bets from BetMGM to help you end your Thursday in style.
Raptors at Suns prediction, player props, betting against the spread and moneyline
All odds and props are from BetMGM, a licensed NBA gaming operator.
- ATS: Suns -9.5 (-110) | Raptors +9.5 (-110)
- Money line: Suns -450 | Raptors +375
- More less : W 226.5 (-110) | U226.5 (-110)
Sports betting gives a big advantage to the home favorites, obviously in large part because of the massive void Toronto’s roster faces without Barnes and Poeltl.
Phoenix just beat one of the hottest offenses in the NBA, the Nuggets, with KD not even shooting that well. That W could have been a boost for this Suns team, who happens to be 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games against the Raps.
Raptors at Suns predictions, best bets
The word “unfortunate” comes to mind when thinking about the Raptors’ effort against the Pelicans. This certainly set a template for future opponents like the Suns tonight, who have benefited from a strong and physical inside game from Jusuf Nurkic as of late (the dude had 31 rebounds a few games ago!).
We also notice that Toronto just doesn’t move the ball very well without Barnes, which isn’t surprising given the importance of the user role he’s taken on since the Pascal Siakam trade. The Raps have averaged just 26.3 assists per game over their last three contests – a drop of more than three per game from their season average – while averaging more than 14 turnovers per game during this stretch.
Phoenix, meanwhile, gets by thanks to his courage, his physicality and his well-timed three-point shots. The Suns had 15 shots on goal in the come-from-behind win over the Nuggets and forced Denver into an uncharacteristic 14 turnovers. The young Raptors could be in the game serious problems if the Suns play similar defense, crashing the boards and lighting it up from deep.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Suns 123, Raptors 110 – The Suns earn (-450) And blanket (-9.5), and the score ends ON the projected total (226.5).
Raptors at Suns: bet on the best player
Kelly Olynyk assists — OVER 6.5 (-115)
Olynyk is expected to take over some point center duties with Barnes and Poeltl sidelined, as the veteran Canadian is one of Toronto’s best passers.
Kelly O won’t want much to do with Nurkic down low, and his floor-extending range should be able to take away some of the interior defense and free up other Raptors shooters from deep and mid-range .
Olynyk had seven assists in his first start as a Raptor the other night, and we expect the same against the Suns tonight.
