The Toronto Raptors have rattled off back-to-back wins, but the issues that have plagued them over the last month remain. Luckily for them, they get to go against a team with even more problems when they host LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets for the second consecutive game.
Toronto outlasted Charlotte in a 132-120 shootout on Tuesday night in a game where the Raps were 8-point home favorites. It’s no surprise they’re 8-point chalk in Part II of this matchup, but can they cover the spread again, and more importantly, can they slow down the oppostition's shooters?
I break down this Eastern Conference matchup and bring you my best bet in my NBA betting picks and predictions for the Hornets vs. Raptors.
Hornets vs Raptors best odds
Hornets vs Raptors picks and predictions
Toronto took down the Hornets last time out — but the Raptors’ same problems arose in that game — allowing Charlotte to shoot 55% from the floor, including 43% from 3-point range. The poor shooting defense is a large reason Toronto is just 4-12 straight up over its last 16 games.
It has been a stunning revelation for a team that was being revered for its defense early on this season. This stretch has been so bad that it has dropped all the way to 20th in defensive rating, and over this 16-game stretch, the Raps rank 26th in opponent field goal percentage and 28th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage.
We took advantage of this in Tuesday’s matchup by backing Hornets' shooting guard Terry Rozier to go Over 2.5 made 3-pointers, and he came through for us by going 5-for-9 from beyond the arc.
"Scary Terry" has had a bit of a tough year with his long-range shooting, hitting just 32.4% of his 3-point attempts, but Rozier has started to find his shooting rhythm.
He is draining 39.6% of his 9.6 threes per game over his last five contests and has hit four or more triples over that span. With Rozier getting the same number at close to even money, we’re going back to the well in matchup No. 2.
My best bet: Terry Rozier Over 2.5 made 3-pointers (+100 at PointsBet)
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Hornets vs Raptors spread analysis
Toronto once again opened this Eastern matchup as 7.5-point home chalk and once again, the early action moved the line to Raptors -8. And while they had a strong fourth quarter on Tuesday night in order to cover that same number, I’m still not comfortable backing them ATS in this matchup.
The reason for that is that they still allowed the Hornets to play their game. Toronto still struggled to contest shots and Charlotte shot the ball well (55%) and ended up scoring 120 points despite the loss. While the Raptors' offense clearly had more room to work against a Hornets' defense with more holes than a honeycomb, this is still a team that ranks 19th in offensive rating and 29th in effective field goal percentage.
So, even in the best matchups, Toronto's offense can stall. Obviously, we saw the Raptors cover this number against this team just two days ago, but they are still proving too inconsistent to back at a big number like this. So, I’ll stay away from the spread in this one.
Hornets vs Raptors Over/Under analysis
The total for the second edition of this matchup once again hit the board at 231, and while the betting action drove the number down to 229 the first time around, this time the total is holding steady. That’s probably because these teams flew over that number by more than 20 points.
While I generally think of the Raptors as an Under team, that’s not really the case anymore because of their defensive troubles.
The Hornets aren’t a great offense, but they rank in the Top 10 in the NBA in pace and put up a ton of shots. Over the last 10 games, they’ve upped their scoring to 117 points per contest.
Oh, and Charlotte isn't not a very good defensive team, ranking 28th in defensive rating and 28th in scoring defense — giving up 118.5 points per game.We saw the Raps have their way on Tuesday night, so, I would lean toward the Over.
Hornets vs Raptors betting trend to know
The Over is 19-8 in Hornets' last 27 road games and is 10-4-1 in Raptors' last 15 vs. a team with a losing straight up record. Find more NBA betting trends for Hornets vs. Raptors.
Hornets vs Raptors game info
| Location: | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario |
| Date: | Thursday, January 12, 2023 |
| Tip-off: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Rogers Sportsnet, Bally Sports SE-CHA |
Hornets vs Raptors key injuries
