The Toronto Raptors visit the Hive and take on the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center.
Toronto heads to Charlotte armed with a five-game winning streak including a 125-114 win over last season’s Eastern Conference finalist Atlanta Hawks last Friday. The Raptors are currently 28-23 SU on the season and they are 3 games behind the Sixers in the Atlantic Division team standings. If the playoffs began today, Toronto would be the outright 6th see in the East.
Charlotte is trending the opposite way with four straight losses entering this game. The Hornets are 28-26 SU on the season and they are in second place in the Southeast Division team standings, 6 games behind the Miami Heat. If the playoffs began today, the Hornets would need two wins in the Play-in Tournament to advance to the playoffs.
Toronto Raptors
Pascal Siakam matched his season-high with 33 points, including 21 during the first quarter while Fred VanVleet added 26 points and 11 assists as the Raptors picked up their fifth straight win. Scottie Barnes had 16. Gary Trent Jr. also added 19 while Chris Boucher and Precious Acwiuwa scored 11 and 10 points respectively.
Toronto ranks 18th in the league in scoring at 108.2 points per game. They are 13th off the glass with an average of 45.0 rebounds per game and are 27th in passing at 22.2 assists per game. The Raptors are 10th in scoring defense at 106.9 points per game allowed this season.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets scored just 86 points against the Heat last Saturday night. Terry Rozier had 16 points while Miles Bridges added 15 points, 5 rebounds, and five assists for Charlotte. Terry Rozier also contributed 16 points and 6 assists while PJ Washington had 11 points off the bench. Kelly Oubre Jr. struggled with 3-15 shooting and only 9 points for Charlotte.
Charlotte is the no. 2 scoring offense in the league at 113.6 points per game this season. They are 18th in rebounding at 44.5 boards grabbed per contest and are 4th in passing at 26.9 dimes per contest. The Hornets are third from the bottom in scoring defense at a whopping 114.2 points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
Toronto is 5-0 SU in their last five games played. The Raptors are 12-11 SU in 23 road games played this season, 5-0 SU in their last five games against the Eastern Conference, and 6-0 SU in their last six games against the Southeast Division.
Charlotte is 1-4 SU in their last five games played. The Hornets are 14-10 SU in 24 home games played this season, and 1-5 SU in their last six games against an opponent from the Eastern Conference.
Head to head, the Raptors are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Hornets.
Please Note
Both teams are playing at opposite poles right now. The Raptors are playing very well with five consecutive wins. Meanwhile, the Hornets have dropped four in a row heading to this contest. Toronto also won their most recent meeting at 125-113 last January 25th.
Charlotte looked very frustrated after their latest defeat as it appeared like James Bouknight confronted head coach James Borrego during the game. Meanwhile, the Raptors have beaten the Bulls and Heat ( twice) during their current winning streak. With the way both teams are playing, you can’t trust the Hornets right now.
Prediction: Toronto Raptors
Other Bets to Make
Toronto is 20-6 ATS in their last 26 games played. The Raptors are 4-0 ATS in their last four games after an ATS win, 5-0 ATS in their last five games after scoring 100 or more points in their previous game, 20-6 ATS in their last 26 games against an opponent with a winning record, 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games when their opponent allows 100 or more points in their previous game, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games when playing on two days rest, and 4-1 ATS in their last five games played on the road.
The Hornets are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played. Charlotte is 0-5 ATS in their last five games played at home, 1-4 ATS in their last five games when allowing more than 100 points in their previous game, 1-5 ATS in their last six games when their opponent allows 100 or more points in their previous game, and 0-5 ATS in their last five games when playing on one day rest.
Raptors
-2 (-115)
Hornets
+2 (-105)
Odds from BetOnline as of 02/07/2022
Gordon Hayward has struggled since returning from the COVID-19 list, shooting just 3-20 from the field since coming back. Myles Bridges is also having a slump from deep, making just two out of his last 22 three-point attempts.
Charlotte is in a bad stretch right now and the Raptors aren’t the opponent they need to turn things around. The Hornets’ defense has been horrendous this season and without the size to match with the Raptors, Toronto will run circles around the struggling Charlotte team.
Toronto is 5-0 ATS in their last five games while Charlotte has covered just once in its last five. I’m eating this chalk and going with the streaking Raptors.
Prediction: Toronto Raptors -2
The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Raptors. The over is 4-1 in their last five games after allowing 100 or more points in their previous game, 4-1 in their last five games when their opponents allow 100 or more points in their previous game, 4-1 in their last five games when playing on two days rest, 15-6 in their last 21 games after a straight-up win, 17-7 in their last 24 games after an ATS win, and 8-2 in their last 10 games after a straight-up win of more than 10 points.
The total has gone over in five out of the Hornets’ last six games after a double-digit defeat at home. The over is 5-1-1 in their last seven games against an opponent with a winning straight up record, 13-3 in their last 16 games after a straight-up loss of more than 10 points, 5-2 in their last seven Monday home games, and 5-2 in their last seven home games when playing on one day rest.
Over
225.5 (-110)
Under
225.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 02/07/2022
Charlotte is the NBA’s second-highest scoring team this season at 113.5 points per game. They also own the league’s 3rd worst scoring defense at 114.2 points per game allowed. Meanwhile, Toronto is just 18th in the league in scoring this season at 108.2 points per game but they have put up nearly 15 points per game over their season scoring average in their last five games played.
The Raptors have scored 120 or more points thrice in their last five games including their last two. With Charlotte’s poor defensive showing this year, Toronto’s scorers won’t find it hard to put up another 120+ scoring game. The Raptors are in the Top 10 in scoring defense but give up 106.9 PPG this season.
These teams have combined to score an average of 223.5 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 228.33 in their most recent three encounters. Give me these teams to hit the over.
Prediction: Over 225.5