Scottie Barnes and the Raptors face Jalen Brunson and the Knicks on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet). Toronto (8-27) will be looking to rebound after getting stomped by the Bucks, while New York will be looking to end its three-game skid and bag its ninth win in 12 games.
The Sporting News has you covered with the NBA odds for this Eastern Conference clash, as well as some best bets and top props from the BetMGM online sportsbook.
MORE: NBA betting, explained: Guide to odds, types of bets, more
RJ Barrett returned from a three-game absence due to illness on Monday, but he, Barnes, and Immanuel Quickley couldn’t stop the Milwaukee freight train. The Bucks beat the doors off Toronto 128-104, while nailing over 57 percent of their shots and going 22-of-44 from three.
The Raptors will need to move past that ugly loss and focus on another strong opponent in the Knicks at the world-famous Madison Square Garden. Here are the odds for this Wednesday night tilt between the Raptors and Knicks, as well as our final score prediction, best bets and top props.
Raptors vs. Knicks odds, pick against spread
All odds and props are from BetMGM, an authorized gaming operator of the NBA.
- ATS: Knicks -11.5 (-110) | Raptors +11.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Knicks -700 | Raptors +500
- Over/under: O 231.5 (-110) | U 231.5 (-110)
After not even sniffing the +7.5 cover against the Bucks at home on Monday, the Raptors find themselves double-digit underdogs on Wednesday. This won’t be an easy game for Toronto, as New York has gone 11-5 at home this season. However, there might be hope — the Knicks have gone just 8-7-1 against the spread at MSG.
Raptors vs. Knicks best bets and final score prediction
The Raptors have fell into a bit of an early calendar-year slump, while the Knicks are clicking on all cylinders. Toronto just got obliterated by Giannis, Dame Lillard and company at Scotiabank, so we’re not holding our breath with the Raptors traveling to Madison Square Garden.
Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks have really started to gel lately. They’re moving the ball well, they’re establishing pace and space and they’re defending and rebounding. Tom Thibodeau’s squad has demonstrated a chemistry that Darko Rajakovic still seems to be searching for with the Raps.
We get being intrigued by Toronto getting nearly 12 points, as the Raptors have gone 20-15-1 against the spread this year. However, their recent string of game results should have everyone pausing before they lock in bets on the underdog.
The Raps have covered just one of their past seven spreads, and their losses have been by an average of 26.4 points during that stretch. Stay smart and stay away from Toronto here.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Knicks 127, Raptors 105 — The Knicks win and cover, while the total goes just OVER the projected total of 231.5.
Raptors vs. Knicks top player prop bet
Karl-Anthony Towns OVER 13.5 rebounds (-110)
KAT sat out New York’s game against the Magic on Monday, and the Knicks ended up losing their third consecutive game. Towns and company will be getting after it on Wednesday, trying to get back into the win column and launch another streak like its 10 straight Ws going into the New Year.
Before his DNP on Monday, Towns had racked up 59 boards over New York’s three previous games. He hasn’t grabbed fewer than 13 rebounds in a game since Dec. 27, and he has pulled down an average of 17.2 boards per game in the five games since. Toronto allows 54.6 boards per away game — so if KAT suits up, we’re going OVER on this prop.
