The New York Knicks head to Tampa on New Year’s Eve to face off against the Toronto Raptors who’ll play their home games at Amalie Arena this season. While the Knicks will search for their third straight win of the season, the Raptors will aim for their first, so excitements are guaranteed in this clash.
Nobody expected to see Toronto winless after its first three outings this term. The Raptors opened as huge 9-point favorites for Thursday’s game on BetAmerica Sportsbook, so the bookmakers have no doubts that Toronto will bounce back.
The Knicks exploded in their last two outings
After they opened the season with a pair of losses at Indiana 121-107 and to Philadelphia 109-89, the New York Knicks decided to put on a show and dismantle the Milwaukee Bucks 130-110 as 13-point home underdogs.
Last Tuesday, the Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 95-86 as 3.5-point road dogs to improve to 2-2 on the season and give some hope to their hapless fans. New York hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2013, and the Knicks have won only 67 games over the previous three seasons.
Julius Randle leads the way for the Knicks with team-high 24.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists. New York has surprisingly played solid defense thus far, allowing 107.2 points per 100 possessions (12th in the NBA) on 43.8% shooting from the field (5th). They score 105.9 points in a return (19th).
The Raptors need to bounce back as soon as possible
The Toronto Raptors played badly in their first three games of the season and desperately need to bounce back with a good performance. After a 113-99 home defeat to New Orleans in the opener, the Raptors lost at San Antonio 119-114 and Philadelphia 100-93.
Toronto has the worst offensive rating in the league at the moment, scoring a paltry 96.9 points per 100 possessions. The Raptors make only 41.5% of their field goals (28th in the league) and 34.8% of their 3-pointers (20th) while posting 17.7 turnovers per game (23rd).
Interestingly, despite their offensive woes, the Raptors are handing out 26.3 assists per game (8th). Toronto allows 105.1 points per 100 possessions (5th) on 45.8% shooting from the field (14th), and the Raptors still look like a tough defensive team.
[metabet_core_odds_compare query=”nba/raptors” size=”300×250″ site_id=”atsio” css=”float:right; margin-left:10px”]Trends:
New York:
- 0-7 ATS in the last seven road games against Toronto
- 6-12 ATS in the last 18 road tilts against Atlantic Division
Toronto:
- 6-2 ATS in the last eight contests against the Knicks
The Winner Prediction
I hope the Raptors have learned something from their previous three losses but also from the Bucks’ heavy defeat at Madison Square Garden. Hereof, I expect the Raptors to take the floor ready to play some very aggressive defense and finally tally their first win of the season.
Toronto will certainly have a clear plan on how to deal with Julius Randle. Both Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are top-notch defenders, while the Raptors’ offense should finally get things going even though they won’t really play at home.
Pick: Take Toronto -9.0 at -110
The Total:
The Knicks are trying their best on the defensive end. Their opponents have made just 24.4% of their 3-pointers so far. I’ve already mentioned that Toronto is a good defensive team, so I’m backing the under on the totals.
The over is 3-2 in the last five encounters between these two divisional foes, but the Raptors limited the Knicks below 100 points four times in that span.
Pick: Go under 217.5 points at -110