Portland Trail Blazers vs. Toronto Raptors Prediction, NBA Odds
The Dinos are -5.5 on the NBA odds with a total of 234.5.
Trail Blazers vs. Raptors NBA Betting Odds
Toronto lost a fourth straight game on Oct. 29, at home to Houston, to fall to 1-4. The Raptors didn’t lose back-to-back games after until Saturday’s OT stunner in Charlotte and then Sunday’s blowout defeat at the New York Knicks.
Portland is playing relatively well considering some injuries and that the franchise was blindsided when head coach and former NBA All-Star Chauncey Billups was arrested by the FBI on the eve of the season as part of a pair of wide-ranging investigations related to illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by the Mafia. Needless to say, Billups will never coach in the league again. Assistant coach Tiago Splitter is the interim coach this season. Fellow Portland assistant Nate Bjorkgren was also considered for the interim gig. He was an assistant with the Raptors from 2018-20 and 2021-23.
Tuesday marks the first of two regular-season meetings between the Trail Blazers and Raptors, with Toronto going to Portland on Jan. 23. The Blazers have taken the past four overall and are 18-11 as the road team in the series. Shaedon Sharpe, from London, Ontario, led Portland in averaging 26.5 points in the two games last season.
The Raptors are 2-8 SU and 4-6 ATS in the past 10 meetings. The over-under is 4-6.
Portland Trail Blazers
Since winning a third straight game on Halloween, the Blazers haven’t won back-to-back games and enter off a second straight loss, 123-115 at home vs. NBA-best Oklahoma City on Sunday. The Thunder’s only loss this season was Nov. 5 against the Trail Blazers. Deni Avdija finished with 31 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists in Sunday’s loss, and he’s blossoming into an All-Star, averaging 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. Portland is short-handed in the backcourt due to injuries. Guard and former No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson has yet to play this season due to a hamstring injury. Veteran guard Jrue Holiday has been out since Nov. 14 and not back here. Centre Donovan Clingan missed Sunday with an illness and is questionable. He leads the NBA in contested shots per game (11.6) and second in offensive rebounds per game (4.7). Portland ranks top five in in both offensive rebounds per game and second chance points per game. The Blazers are 4-2 ATS in their past six games.
Toronto Raptors
We warned you that the Raptors were in a possible trap game last Saturday in Charlotte, and they were upset to see a nine-game winning streak snapped. Then on Sunday, the Dinos clearly were gassed in a 116-94 loss at the Knicks. Toronto allowed a season-high tying 41 points in the first quarter and scored a season-low-tying 17 points in the fourth in the biggest loss of the year. It so happens those clubs meet in the NBA Cup Eastern Conference semifinals in Toronto next Tuesday. R.J. Barrett remained out against his former club with a knee injury and won’t play Tuesday. Centre Jakob Poeltl sat out the second of a back-to-back but simply for rest, and he will be in there Tuesday. Without Poeltl, the Raptors were outrebounded 61-40. Toronto finished 10-3 in November compared to 4-11 in the month in 2024. The Raptors are 7-0 SU in their past seven at home.
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