Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors Spread: NBA Odds, Prediction
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Charlie Grant
Toronto fans welcome the reigning champion Golden State Warriors into town just two days after their Raptors laid the smack down on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Do the Raps have another giant-killer performance in them?.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Golden State is coming off a win and cover last night in Milwaukee pushing its league-best record to 34-9 straight up and 20-22-1 against the spread. The Warriors’ had their six-game over streak snapped at the hands of the Bucks and the over is 23-20 in the Dubs’ 43 games this season.
The Raptors are coming off a statement win against the Cavaliers on Thursday night with the eyes of the Canadian and American national audiences watching. Toronto improves to 15-2 at home and 29-11 overall after the victory, and 23-17 ATS for the season. The Warriors beat the Raptors 117-112 in Oakland back in October but failed to cover as 12.5-point home chalk. The Raptors are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five matchups against the Warriors.
Golden State Warriors
Betting in games involving the Warriors is a tricky task because of the amount of injuries the defending champions are dealing with this season. The club has had all four of its All-Stars healthy and active for less than half of its contests. Two-time league MVP Stephen Curry is the latest Golden State player to visit the trainer’s room. Curry is expected to play on Saturday night despite missing the last two games with an ankle injury. The spread for Saturday’s game extends Golden State’s record of consecutive games as the betting favourite to 68. The last time the Dubs weren’t listed as the chalk was last March when they visited the San Antonio Spurs.
Toronto Raptors
Toronto’s 34-point victory against the Cavs without starters Kyle Lowry and power forward Serge Ibaka is about as good as it can get for a regular season result. The Raptors bench mob was on full display with Norman Powell, Jakob Poeltl, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam all reaching double figures. It’s a testament to the team’s depth that it can put up 133 points and only 13 come from DeMar DeRozan. Ibaka’s one-game suspension is over and he will be back for Saturday’s game against the Warriors. The news isn’t as positive for Lowry. He’s expected to miss a third straight game because of a bruised tailbone.
