On Monday, the Toronto Raptors staged a massive second-half comeback in order to avoid a humiliating loss at the hands of the Washington Wizards. However, they’ll need to play a full 48 minutes if they hope to beat the visiting Milwaukee Bucks tonight at Scotiabank Arena.
Fortunately, the Bucks are facing their own challenges. Despite being listed with the third-best NBA Finals odds, Milwaukee doesn't appear to be in championship form at the moment. Moreover, Toronto dominated Milwaukee with a 130-111 victory just a couple of weeks ago.
The Raps are home underdogs once again and I'll break down this Eastern Conference clash and bring you the best bet in my NBA picks and predictions for Bucks vs. Raptors on November 15.
Bucks vs Raptors odds
Bucks vs Raptors predictions
Part of the reason for the Toronto Raptors’ struggles against the Wizards was due to the fact that defensive stud OG Anunoby and sixth-man Gary Trent Jr. are currently injured. However, they should still have the right tools to take advantage of a struggling Milwaukee Bucks defense.
Who would have thought swapping out Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard would crater your defense this much? (crickets chirp). Heading into this matchup, the Bucks rank 24th in defensive rating, 18th in opponent effective field goal percentage, and 20th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage.
And, interestingly enough, opposing guards have been performing exceptionally well against the Bucks in recent times. Tyrese Haliburton scored 29 points a couple of games ago, Cade Cunningham put up 33, and Jalen Brunson went off for 45 back on November 3. Heck, even Jalen Suggs put up 20 for the Magic over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Dennis Schroder has played very well through his first 10 games with the Raptors. The point guard is averaging 15.4 points and 7.7 assists per game while shooting a solid 36.2% from 3-point range.
He’s gone Over this number in half of his games this season, including putting up 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting in that game two weeks ago against the Bucks.
I expect Schroder to bounce back from what was his worst shooting performance of the season. He gets a very good matchup against the Bucks tonight, so take the Over on his points prop. Schroder's alternate points milestone of 20+ (+270) remains tempting as well.
My best bet: Dennis Schroder Over 14.5 points (-115 at PointsBet)
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Bucks vs Raptors same-game parlay
Dennis Schroder Over 14.5 points
Damian Lillard Under 31.5 points
Pascal Siakam 8+ rebounds
As always, our same-game parlay starts off with our best bet, which for tonight’s matchup is Schroder to go Over 14.5 points.
Meanwhile, buckets won't come as easy for the Bucks starting point guard. Lillard is still adjusting to life in Milwaukee, and he is averaging just 22.8 points per game and shooting just 26.9% from 3-point range. With no Giannis Antetokounmpo in the lineup, his points total has been adjusted to 28.5, but that still looks too high against a strong Raptors defense.
In the Bucks' last game against Toronto, Lillard was a -26 on the floor and scored just 15 points. With Giannis now out and the Raptors able to key in on Lillard, expect Dame's struggles to continue.
Let’s close this SGP out by taking advantage of the Bucks’ other weakness, which is on the glass. Milwaukee ranks 23rd in both rebounding rate and opponent rebounds per game.
Pascal Siakam has been putting more work on the boards lately, averaging 10 rebounds over his last three games. Let’s boost this SGP a bit by taking his 8+ alternate rebounds. If all three legs hit, we cash a +650 ticket.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Bucks vs Raptors spread and Over/Under analysis
The spread for this Eastern Conference matchup opened with the Raptors as 5.5-point home underdogs. Early bettors saw some value in Toronto as home dogs, and the line moved to 4.5. Then, the Bucks bounced back as the spread returned to the opening number.
Nevertheless, it has been announced that Giannis won't be participating in this game. The Raptors, as a result, received an anticipated boost and currently hold a +1.5 advantage as of Wednesday afternoon.
When these teams last met in Toronto on November 1, the Raptors closed as 4-point underdogs. But they didn’t look like that, crushing the Bucks by 19 points. Now, this time around it sounds like they will be without Anunoby and Trent, but Giannis' absence offsets that.
Even without Anunoby, Toronto is the much better defensive team, ranking seventh in the NBA in defensive rating and eighth in opponent-effective field goal percentage.
On top of that, the Bucks have been one of the least favorable bets in the NBA due to their defensive struggles. A defense that has been so inconsistent that even a below-average offense like the Raptors can exploit it. Milwaukee has only covered the spread once this season and holds a disappointing 1-8-1 record against the spread.
When it comes to the total, it hit the board at 226 and was bet up slightly to 228 before also taking a dip with the Giannis news. It now sits at 224.5.
Even without the Antetokoumnpo playing in this game, I might have a slight lean toward the Over thanks to the Bucks' defensive ineptitude.
Bucks vs Raptors betting trend to know
The Bucks have hit the game total Over in 24 of their last 36 games for +10.8 units. Find more NBA betting trends for Bucks vs. Raptors.
Bucks vs Raptors game info
| Location: | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON |
| Date: | Wednesday, November 15, 2023 |
| Tip-off: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TSN |
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