The Toronto Raptors head to State Farm Arena to face off against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
These teams met in the Great White North on Halloween with the Hawks getting clobbered but with this contest taking place in the Dirty South, the shorthanded Raps are in a tough spot.
NBA betting lines opened with Atlanta as a 5.5-point home favorite against a Toronto squad decimated by injuries while the Over/Under sits at 225.5.
Here are my best free Raptors vs. Hawks NBA picks and predictions for November 19.
Raptors vs Hawks best odds
Raptors vs Hawks picks and predictions
The Raptors might be better than the Hawks when they're at full strength (their 139-109 rout on October 31 would certainly suggest that) but they're nowhere near healthy right now.
Not only are they missing their best player in Pascal Siakam and their starting shooting guard, Gary Trent Jr., but their top three reserves are also sidelined.
That's simply too many injuries for them to hang with an extremely talented team like Atlanta on the road. Considering how shorthanded the Raptors are, laying five points with a healthy Hawks squad seems like a bargain.
My best bet: Hawks -5.5 (-107 at PointsBet)
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Raptors vs Hawks spread analysis
The Raptors are coming off back-to-back wins against the Pistons and Heat despite missing Siakam and Trent. Siakam leads the team in points (24.8), assists (7.7), and rebounds per game (9.3), and has been out for the last two weeks with the Raps going 4-3 SU and 2-5 ATS without him.
Chris Boucher had stepped up in Siakam's absence, averaging 18.5 ppg and 8.3 rpg over the last four contests but now he's out of the lineup as well due to an illness.
Precious Achiuwa, who was averaging 20.4 mpg off the bench, and Dalano Banton, who replaced Trent in the starting lineup, are also sidelined, which will make it extremely tough for Toronto to be competitive tonight.
Atlanta is fresh off a lopsided loss to the Celtics but is still 5-3 SU and ATS over the last eight games despite facing some tough competition over that span.
The Hawks have a terrific backcourt combination with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray and they'll be a matchup nightmare for Fred VanVleet and whoever starts next to him.
Meanwhile, Clint Capela and John Collins should feast inside against a Raptors frontcourt that is extremely thin and has been forced to start 6-foot-8 journeyman Thad Young at center.
Raptors vs Hawks Over/Under analysis
These teams combined for a whopping 248 points three weeks ago in Toronto. However, Siakam, Trent, and Boucher combined for 62 of the Raptors' 139 points in that contest and their absence will be felt.
The Raps are usually so dangerous on offense because every member of their starting lineup can run the floor and fill up the hoop. But without Siakam and Trent (not to mention some of their best backups) they could struggle to get buckets.
The Hawks have some talented offensive players of their own, led by Young and Murray. Young averages 26.9 ppg and 9.3 apg but has been extremely inefficient, shooting just 38.2% from the field.
The newly-acquired Murry is putting up 21.3 ppg and 7.6 apg but his biggest impact has been on the other end of the floor.
The Hawks were just 24th in the NBA in opponent effective field goal percentage last season (54.3%) but have improved that number to 51.9% this year — the third-best number in the league.
Raptors vs Hawks betting trend to know
The Raptors are 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Hawks.
Raptors vs Hawks game info
| Location: | State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA |
| Date: | Saturday, November 19, 2022 |
| Tip-off: | 6:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | BSSE, SN1 |
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