The Toronto Raptors (31-24) travel to the Big Easy Monday to play the New Orleans Pelicans (22-34). Tip-off at Smoothie King Arena is set for 8 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Raptors vs. Pelicans odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Toronto had its seven-game win streak (7-0 against the spread (ATS)) snapped Saturday after losing 110-109 to the Denver Nuggets at home as a 5.5-point favorite.
NOLA has lost back-to-back home games to the Miami Heat (112-97 Thursday) and San Antonio Spurs (124-114 Saturday). The Pelicans are 4-3 straight up (SU) and 5-2 ATS over the past two weeks.
The Raptors beat the Pelicans 105-101 in Toronto Jan. 9 as 7.5-point favorites and the Under cashed on a 221-point total. However, NOLA covered its third straight meeting with Toronto.
Raptors at Pelicans odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:42 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Raptors -165 (bet $165 to win $100) | Pelicans +133 (bet $100 to win $133)
- Against the spread: Raptors -3.5 (-110) | Pelicans +3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 221.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
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Raptors at Pelicans key injuries
Raptors
- None.
Pelicans
- None.
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Raptors at Pelicans odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Pelicans 113, Raptors 108
Money line
Slight “LEAN” to the PELICANS (+133) since they match up well with the Raptors and I like NOLA plus the points here.
Toronto does a good job scoring easy buckets by crashing the glass, getting out in transition and attacking the paint. However, NOLA’s defense is top seven in second-chance points, fastbreak points and paint points per game (PPG) allowed.
The Pelicans are also a much better rebounding team; NOLA has a plus-2.8 rebound-per-game margin while Toronto has a plus-0.5 rebound-per-game margin.
New Orleans is sixth in points per miss and Toronto allows the second-most points per miss on defense, according to CleaningTheGlass.com (CTG).
I like how NOLA’s roster stacks up against Toronto’s. Pelicans’ wing Brandon Ingram is averaging 25.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in his five games versus the Raptors since coming to NOLA.
However, I only “LEAN” to the PELICANS (+133) for a small wager, if at all, because NOLA’s spread is the much sharper play.
Against the spread
Definitely BET the PELICANS +3.5 (-110) heavier than or instead of their money line since there’s been a sharp line move headed in NOLA’s direction and the Pelicans are 9-6 ATS at home versus teams with a winning record.
NOLA went from a 4.5-point underdog down to the current number as I was writing this handicap despite roughly 90% of the money being wagered on Toronto’s spread, according to Pregame.com. Anytime we see this kind of reverse line movement it should be a red flag.
For the record, the PELICANS +3.5 (-110) is my favorite wager in this game.
Over/Under
“LEAN” to the UNDER 221.5 (-107) for a quarter-unit because both teams play at a bottom-eight pace, have a bottom-six true shooting percentage and the first Raptors-Pelicans meeting this season went Under the total by 15 points.
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