The 2024-25 Toronto Raptors might be the most entertaining team in the NBA. We’re obviously a bit biased here at Bodog Sportsbook, your No. 1 source for basketball betting in Canada and across the Americas, but the numbers don’t lie: Despite starting the regular season at 2-9, the Raptors have played well enough to go 8-3 against the spread after 11 games.
Toronto plays three times this week, so we’re putting all three games in our NBA betting preview of the 2024-25 campaign here at Bodog. But we tip off our inaugural top five by visiting the home of the league’s No. 1 Canadian player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
5. New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder (Wednesday)
Gilgeous-Alexander (28.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists per 36 minutes) was last year’s MVP runner-up, and he’s mounting another strong candidacy – although his level of play after 10 games is closer to where it was two years ago, when the Toronto native finished fifth in MVP voting. Either way, Oklahoma City is thriving at 8-2 (7-3 ATS) as we go to press.
It’s not easy to squeeze betting value out of a heavy favourite, but the Pelicans (3-7 SU, 2-8 ATS) are about as fade-worthy as NBA teams get. Much like the Raptors, New Orleans has already been wrecked by injuries, but to an even greater degree – and with fewer prospects coming off the bench in relief. Here’s the list of known casualties for Wednesday:
– PF Zion Williamson (hamstring)
– SG Dejounte Murray (hand)
– SG CJ McCollum (adductor)
– SF Herbert Jones (shoulder)
– G Jordan Hawkins (back)
You could hear the collective groan across the Mississippi this past Saturday when the Pels announced that Williamson (26.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.4 block/36) would be out indefinitely. Javonte Green is a capable back-up on defence, but there’s simply no replacing what Williamson provides at both ends of the court. Kick them while they’re down.
4. Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks (Friday)
These are the bottom two teams in the Southeast Division, but we’re not recommending the Wizards (2-6 SU and ATS) nor the Hawks (4-7 SU, 3-8 ATS) for your NBA picks this week. Keep an eye on the total for this matchup at Bodog, and get ready to pounce on the Over; it’s already 9-2 this year for Atlanta, and 5-3 for Washington.
Defence requires effort, so it’s little surprise to see these two clubs cashing in the Over at such a high rate. After trading Murray to New Orleans during the offseason, the Hawks rank No. 26 out of the league’s 30 teams in defensive efficiency at 114.9 points allowed per 100 possessions, one spot ahead of the Wiz at 115.4 points allowed.
Then you have the battle between the top two picks in the 2024 NBA Draft: Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher and Washington’s Alex Sarr. Neither of these Euro imports has performed particularly well, although Sarr’s defence has been decent enough; Friday’s game is also part of the NBA Cup tournament, so we might see a bit more effort from what are otherwise two franchises in the midst of a long rebuild. Temper your expectations accordingly.
3. Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics (Saturday)
Our heroes are up against it this week. Saturday will be their toughest contest against the defending champions from Boston (9-2 SU, 6-5 ATS), and they’ll have to do it in the Garden on zero days of rest.
The good news for Toronto: They’ve got two-thirds of the BBQ core back in uniform. PG Immanuel Quickley returned to action last weekend and played very well in Saturday’s 105-103 near-miss against the LA Clippers (–6 at home), although Quickley and SG RJ Barrett both ran out of gas in Sunday’s 123-103 loss to the Lakers (–10.5 at home).
Unfortunately, the Raps are still without SF Scottie Barnes (eye), centre Kelly Olynyk (back) and PG Bruce Brown (knee), plus rookie SG Ja’Kobe Walter, who re-sprained his AC joint and will be re-evaluated sometime this week. But that means more playing time for Toronto’s breakout wing tandem of Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji. The former Kansas Jayhawks are both strong candidates to hit the Over on their respective NBA player props for this matchup, with Agbaji the bigger value bet now that Dick is getting famous beyond Instagram.
2. Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors (Friday)
It’s never a guaranteed win when Toronto plays the Pistons. The Raptors are 8-11 SU and 5-14 ATS versus Detroit since the start of the 2018-19 title campaign – and they got swept 3-0 SU and ATS that year. But at least the Pistons don’t have former Raps head coach Dwane Casey to haunt us anymore; J.B Bickerstaff is in charge now, after one miserable year under Monty Williams.
Not that any of those three coaches deserves blame for Detroit’s malaise. The Pistons (4-7 SU, 6-5 ATS) have been a mess ever since Platinum Equity (founded by Tom Gores) swooped in and bought the team in 2011, while the city was still in “Detropia” mode following the 2008 recession. It’s been a revolving door of GMs and draft busts the past dozen years, although we’ll reserve judgement for now on Trajan Langdon, who was named President of Basketball Operations this spring after five years as the GM in New Orleans.
1. Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks (Tuesday)
This is the game Raptors fans should get the most enjoyment from – and betting value. The Bucks (2-8 SU, 3-7 ATS) really messed things up last year when they sent PG Jrue Holiday to Portland as part of a multi-team deal for PG Damian Lillard; Holiday was a key part of Milwaukee’s title run in 2021, and sure enough, he earned another ring last year after getting flipped to the Celtics.
The Raptors figured out how to deal with Milwaukee long before Lillard came along: Make Giannis Antetokounmpo shoot threes, and/or send him to the foul line. It’s a recipe for disaster against most superstars, but it’s why Toronto is 13-7 SU and 13-6-1 ATS versus the Bucks after going down 0-2 in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals.
Naturally, you’ll want to hit up our NBA odds page here at Bodog Sportsbook for the best basketball lines on all five of our featured games, plus the full roster of NBA futures and player props. Get ready for another round of nail-biting action from the Raptors, and we’ll see you next week for more tips and analysis here at Bodog – where betting on the NBA is always a no-brainer.