Atlanta Hawks vs Toronto Raptors NBA Betting Preview & Odds
NBA action on Wednesday night and we will see the Atlanta Hawks travel to Air Canada Center to take on the Toronto Raptors. NBATV will carry this game, which has a start time of 7:30 pm EST.
Current betting odds for this game have the have the Raptors listed as 1 point favorites, while the total has been set at 201.
Head-To-Head This Year: Toronto won the 1st meeting 96-86 as 4.5 point road dogs…Toronto won the 2nd meeting 104-96 as a 3.5 point home favorite.
The Atlanta Hawks seem postseason ready right now as they come in having won their last 4 in a row and 13 of their last 17. Their last game was a 102-100 road win over the the Bulls and while they lead the Southeast division, it is by just 1 game over Miami and 1.5 games over the Hornets, so they still have some work to do they. They do have 4 of their last 7 games at home, but overall they have two games vs the Raptors and Cave, plus a game vs Boston and a roadie vs the Wizards to end the year. Yes, plenty of work to do. Paul Millsap is the leader of the offense and he comes in averaging 17.2 ppg, while also leading the team in rebounding at 8.7 rpg. Al Alford comes in as the 2nd leading scorer on the team, putting up 15.3 ppg, while also placing 2nd on the team in rebounding at 7.1 rpg. Jeff Teague has had another solid year as he comes in averaging 15.1 ppg and he its 39.2% from long range, while Kent Bazemore (11.5 ppg) and Dennis Schroeder (11.3 ppg) round out the double digit scorers on the team. Kyle Korver is the team’s best long range threat at 39.8%. The Hawks are a very average offensive team as they come in ranked 13th in the league in scoring, putting up 102.9 ppg, while also ranking 10th in shooting overall, 18th in 3-point shooting and 9th from the charity stripe. The defense has been very good this year as they come in ranked 6th in points allowed, giving up just 98.9 ppg, while also ranking 1st in defensive FG% overall and 5th in 3-point defense. On the road the Hawks have averaged 102.6 ppg on 44.9% shooting, while allowing 100.2 ppg on 43.0% shooting.
Trends: The Hawks are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game and 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games following a straight up win, but just 1-06 ATS the last 7 meetings. The Over is 7-2 in their last 9 vs. the Atlantic, while the Under is 9-4 in their last 13 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600
The Raptors are not playing great ball at the moment as they come in having lost 3 of their last 4 games and are off a 119-100 home loss to the Thunder. The Raptors have the Atlantic Division all but sewn up, but they still have a shot at the overall number seed in the East, so it’s not like they have shutdown to get ready for the playoffs. This is a big game for them, especially since 5 of their 8 games after this are on the road, where they are a mediocre 21-15, compared to 28-9 at home. Toronto is led by Demar DeRozan, who averages 23.6 ppg on the year, which 9th in the league, while Kyle Lowry is having a solid year, putting up 21.9 ppg and hitting 38.5% from long range. Jonas Valanciunas leads the team in rebounding at 9.2 rpg, and he is 3rd on the team in scoring at 12.6 ppg. Rounding out the double digit scorers is Demarre Carroll at 11.6 ppg, but he could be out for the remainder of the season, while Luis Scola is the team’s best long range threat at 41.7% and he chips in with 9.4 ppg. Toronto comes in ranked 14th in the league in scoring, putting up 102.9 ppg, while also ranking 14th in shooting overall, 4th from long range and 11th from the charity stripe. The defensive numbers are solid as they come in ranked 5th in points allowed, giving up just 98.5 ppg, while also ranking 13th defensive FG% overall, but they do struggle at defending the arc, where they rank 29th. At home this year the Raptors have averaged 104.6 ppg on 45.6% shooting, while allowing 98.7 ppg on 45.2% shooting.
Trends: Toronto is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. the Southeast, but just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest. The Over is 24-11-1 in their last 36 games following a ATS loss, while the Under is 5-1 in their last 6 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
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