The Toronto Raptors (42-16) host the Charlotte Hornets (20-38) Friday at Scotiabank Arena for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze the Hornets-Raptors sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Hornets at Raptors: Key Injuries
HORNETS
- SG Malik Monk (suspension) out
RAPTORS
- C Marc Gasol (hamstring) out
- PF Serge Ibaka (knee) questionable
- SG Patrick McCaw (illness) probable
- SG Norman Powell (finger) questionable
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Hornets at Raptors: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Raptors 126, Hornets 102
Moneyline (ML)
PASS on the moneyline. The Raptors (-1111) are an extremely safe play but there’s too much chalk involved to warrant a wager, as a $10 bet for Toronto to win will return a profit of just $0.90. The Hornets (+700) offer a 7-1 return on your investment, but there’s no reason to believe in the road dogs pulling off the unlikely upset. The Raps are 8-2 across their last 10 games and 23-8 at home for the season. The Hornets are just 4-6 across their last 10 games and 11-20 on the road for the season.
Further fueling the Raptors is their 108-97 home loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday. They’ll look to rebound at home before heading out for a five-game Western Conference road trip. The Hornets topped the New York Knicks 107-101 Wednesday, but it came on the heels of a 119-80 drubbing by the Indiana Pacers. The Raps lead the season series 2-0 with wins by scores of 132-96 and 112-110 (in overtime).
Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
Get some value with the RAPTORS (-14.5, -106). A $10 bet will return a profit of $9.43 should they win by at least 15 points. Toronto beat the same Pacers team 127-81 two days before Indiana turned the tables on the Hornets in a rout. The Raps are 18-10 ATS as a home favorite. They win those games by an average of 11.1 points per game and cover the spread by an extra 4.6 PPG in those outings.
The Hornets’ last four losses all came by margins of at least 15 points. The Raptors’ last two wins were each by 17 or more points.
Over/Under (O/U)
Back the OVER 215.5 (-110). Don’t expect to see many starters for either side in the fourth quarter as reserves forego defense in order to pad their stats. The two head-to-head meetings thus far this season both topped this projection, and the Raptors are likely to be without their top two interior defenders Friday.
Esten’s NBA betting record: 200-174
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