Three of the Greatest Picks for the Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic In-Season Tournament
Tonight at home, the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors square off in an In-Season Tournament matchup. We’ve put together our three best predictions for these postseason contenders.
Tonight marks the Orlando Magic’s third NBA In-Season Tournament matchup against the Toronto Raptors. Both Orlando and the Raptors are still in the tournament as they both have a record of 1-1 and 0-1 in Group C.
Toronto has dropped two of its previous three games, while the Magic are on a three-game winning streak. Orlando is favored to win the game, and everything seems to be working in their favor thanks to home-court advantage.
Orlando’s chances of winning will be greatly impacted by their ability to contain Scottie Barnes, who has been on fire for the Raptors the entire season. Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter Jr., and Christian Koloko are out for Orlando, while Christian Koloko is out for the Raptors. Both teams’ injuries are minor. Thaddeus Young is not convinced.
This game serves as both an in-season tournament match and a conference matchup between the Magic and Raptors, who are both likely to make the playoffs. Let’s examine the top wagers and lines, provided by SI Sportsbook, with the stakes as high as they can get this early in the season.
The Rows
Raptors +1.5 (-118)/Magic -1.5 (-118) is the point spread.
Raptors (+100) / Magic (-138) is the moneyline.
Above or below: 215.5
Our Selections
Goga Bitadze OVER 8.5 points is a safe pick (-133)
Bitadze has averaged 8.8 points since coming into the starting lineup, but the last two games have seen him go through a bit of a cold patch. But as the Magic head back to Orlando, Goga should have a big game against the sixth-worst interior defensive team in the league, buoyed by his confidence in taking over the starting center role.
Selection of the opposition: Scottie Barnes OVER 17.5 points (-111)
Although Barnes appeared to be a lock to be an All-Star at the beginning of the season, he has struggled in his last two games. While Barnes’ scores of 14 and 17 are acceptable, they fall far short of what he has demonstrated to be capable of. Orlando’s defense will put stopping him first, but he has shown this season that he can get to the hoop whenever he wants and that he is a competent shooter as well. It’s difficult to resist punching the over with a line this low.
Team selection: OVER 215.5 points overall (-118)
The top-ten defenses and bottom-ten offenses of the Magic and Raptors point to a low-scoring contest. Indeed, there won’t be a shootout in this game. But these two teams combined score 220 points a game on average while giving up 108 points apiece on average. This implies that the over should be barely cleared if both teams play average defense and average scoring. Is this wager secure? No, but the data indicates that it ought to surpass 215.5 just barely.
