New Orleans Pelicans vs. Toronto Raptors: NBA Odds

The Toronto Raptors say they have a new identity this year, now they’re trying to prove it on the court.

The Toronto Raptors remain a work in progress. That’s the best way to describe this team that was good enough to win a lot of games in the regular season last year, but wilted quickly in the playoffs. This year, with a newfound focus on defence, Dwayne Casey’s crew wants to be a much tougher team to play against and so far, you can see the team is moving in the right direction.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Toronto Raptors

Odds: Toronto Raptors 9.5-point favourite, over/under 207

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UPDATED NBA ODDS

Toronto Raptors

The Raps reeled off five straight wins to start the year, covering the point spread in each of those games. From there, they hit a few potholes and dropped three in a row before snapping that skid with a blowout victory in Philadelphia. Sure, it’s early yet but the early results are positive for Toronto. The Raps rank fifth in the league allowing their opposition to shoot just 42 percent from the floor and they sit eighth in overall points allowed per game 97.8. It’s this commitment to defence that has helped them go 6-3 against the spread so far.

New Orleans Pelicans

The banged-up Pelicans could be without Anthony Davis (hip) again tonight, which would be a major problem. The 6-foot-10 forward leads the team in points (24), rebounds (9), field goal percentage (47.5) and blocks (2.6) per game. Despite those great numbers, New Orleans has just one win this season and has covered the number just twice in eight games. If Davis can’t go, the Pelicans are going to have a tough time covering as 9.5-point underdogs. 

Pick:

The Raptors are much deeper than New Orleans most nights, but if Anthony Davis is out, Toronto could run away with this one at the ACC. With the 9.5-point line on the board you do have to be a little worried about the backdoor cover. That said, we don’t expect Davis to play and this is the last game of New Orleans’ road trip. If this one isn’t going well down the stretch, the Pelicans may pack it in.

Score prediction: Toronto Raptors 108, New Orleans Hornets 95.