Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction, NBA Odds

Jordan Ramsay | Updated Jan 16, 2025

NBA: Milwaukee Bucks at Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are an NBA-worst 1-18 on the road this season as they prepare to travel to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Friday night.

Toronto
17-38
AT
January 17, 2025, 8:00 PM ET
Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee
29-24
Pointspread +10.5 -105
Moneyline +450
Over / Under o +233.5
Pointspread -10.5 -115
Moneyline -650
Over / Under u +233.5

Don’t look now, but the Toronto Raptors have won two games in a row, capped by a 110-97 decision over the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics on Wednesday. However, don’t get your hopes up Dinos fans. This team will still miss the playoffs by a significant margin, so all they’re doing at this point is hurting their chances at securing the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.

Milwaukee has also won two consecutive games, including a 122-93 blowout win over Orlando on Wednesday. Unlike Toronto, the Bucks are a legit threat in the East and they should easily secure one of the conference’s six automatic playoff spots.

Milwaukee is a heavy 11-point favourite to win on the NBA odds.

Raptors vs. Bucks NBA Betting Odds

This is the third and final meeting between the teams this season. The Bucks won the previous two games, 99-85 at home on Nov. 12 and 128-104 in Toronto on Jan. 6. Milwaukee leads the all-time regular season series 60-47, although the Raptors did beat the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals en route to winning the 2019 NBA championship.

Let’s move on to the most glaring stat of this game. Toronto is on pace to be one of the worst road teams in NBA history, posting a 1-18 record away from Scotiabank Arena. That’s a worse road record than the lowly Washington Wizards, who have won just six games all year.

On the flip side, Milwaukee has a solid 14-7 home record this season. The Bucks have won 13 of their last 17 home dates and five of six overall.

If you’ve had any success betting on the Raptors this season, it’s been as a cover option. Toronto is 24-17 against the spread overall, although they’ve failed to cover in eight of their last 12 games. Milwaukee has covered in four of their last six games, but they’re just 18-21-1 ATS overall.

Both teams have split the Over/Under nearly evenly this season, but you can likely expect a higher scoring game on Friday. The Over has hit in five of the Bucks’ last six games, while Toronto has finished above the number in four of their last five against Central Division opponents.

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors avenged an embarrassing 54-point loss against the Celtics on New Year’s Eve with a surprise win against the defending champs on Wednesday. RJ Barrett led the way with 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, while Scottie Barnes added 18 points and Jakob Poeltl had 16 points and 11 boards. But, to pour cold water over everything, it still hasn’t been a great year for Toronto. For context, the Raptors are now at the halfway point of the season with six fewer wins than they had at the same point last year.

Immanuel Quickley will miss his fourth consecutive game on Friday because of a left hip injury. It’s one of various injuries that have limited the 25-year-old to just nine games this season. There’s some good news, however, as the hand injury that forced Ochai Agbaji out of the Boston game doesn’t appear to be serious. Agbaji is listed as questionable for Friday.

Milwaukee Bucks

Damian Lillard took the reigns for the Bucks on Wednesday, dropping a game-high 30 points for his highest scoring game in well over a month. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA’s second-highest scorer, finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Khris Middleton and Bobby Porter Jr. each had 14 points. The 122 points was a season-high for Milwaukee, who also shot a season-best 62.5 per cent from the field.

The main knock against this Bucks squad is their record against top tier opponents. Milwaukee is 0-8 against the top three teams in the East, which Toronto certainly isn’t, so this is more of a long term problem. One solution could be their rumoured interest in Miami’s Jimmy Butler, who is in the middle of a nasty split from the Heat. It would be a complicated trade to make happen, but you have to imagine a Big Three of Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Butler could hold its own against anyone in the league.

NBA Prediction: Who Will Win Raptors vs. Bucks?

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