Raptors vs Hornets Picks and Predictions: Toronto Swarms Buzz City

Now that the Toronto Raptors are locked into a play-in spot, their next step is to clinch either the seventh or eighth seed in the East. 

That means the Raptors must take care of business when they visit the Charlotte Hornets for the second consecutive game. The Raps stung Buzz City on Sunday, defeating the Hornets 128-108, covering the hefty 15.5-point spread in the process.

With the Hornets more concerned about lottery balls than basketballs at the moment, can the Raptors cover for the second straight night?

I break down this Eastern Conference matchup and bring you my best bet in our free NBA picks and predictions for Raptors vs. Hornets.

Raptors vs Hornets best odds

Raptors vs Hornets picks and predictions

Do you want to know why the Charlotte Hornets are 15-point home underdogs against a good (not great) Toronto Raptors team?

Well, if you’re not a fan of the Hornets, why don’t you try naming one of their starters from their latest loss?

Go ahead, I’ll wait. It’s tough, right?

Well, here’s what their starting five consisted of.

Mark Williams, JT Thor, Bryce McGowens, Theo Maledon, and their leading scorer was former Raptor Svi Mykhailiuk.

Clearly, the Hornets are far more focused on the NBA Draft lottery and not the product on the basketball court. While the team's defense has been surprisingly good since coming out of the All-Star break, The offense has been dismal.

The Hornets rank dead last in the NBA when it comes to offensive rating since the All-Star break while ranking 26th in effective field goal percentage, 23rd in 3-point shooting percentage, and 29th in scoring.

A big problem for Charlotte is that its inexperienced players tend to get off to rough starts. The Hornets are putting up just 54.4 first-half points on 46.3% shooting in the first half since the All-Star break, and tonight they’ll be facing a swarming Raptors defense.

Toronto enters tonight boasting the fifth-best defensive rating since the break and leads the NBA in steals for the season. The Raps also love to get their hands in the passing lanes and rank ninth in the league when it comes to opponent first-half points per game.

The Raptors held the Hornets to just 52 points on 43.8% shooting in the first half of Sunday’s matchup. I’m betting Toronto’s defense is locked in early as it focuses on trying to track down Miami in the standings.

Take the Raps to keep the Hornets below their first-half team total.

My best bet: Hornets first half team total Under 53.5 (-115 at PointsBet)

Raptors vs Hornets spread analysis

Toronto opened Sunday's matchup as 13-point favorites before eventually closing at 15.5, and I can see a similar situation happening on Tuesday. The Raps hit the board at -14 and have already been moved to -14.5.

But asking whether the Raps can cover all that chalk for a second consecutive game against the Hornets remains a good question. Sunday's matchup hovered around the line for most of the game, and the Raps only led by 10 with about four minutes to go before a late surge helped them cash at -15.5.

I also remain wary of a spread this big when it involves a shaky Raptors half-court offense. While the team has improved at that end of the floor with the addition of Jakob Poeltl, they still rank 17th in offensive rating and 28th in effective field goal percentage since the All-Star break.

Plus, Sunday was just the third time in 14 tries this season that the Raptors covered the spread as road favorites. I would ultimately stay away from the spread here. 

Raptors vs Hornets Over/Under analysis

While the spread remains about the same from Sunday’s matchup, the total has seen a bit of a boost. Sunday’s game saw the total close at 219.5, but the Raptors and Hornets easily cleared it by 16.5 points.

This time around, the total hit the board at 223 and has been bet down slightly to 222.5 as of early Tuesday afternoon. I’d agree with the early money, not only because I’m on the Hornets to have a low-scoring first half, but because of the Raptors' ongoing struggles in the half-court as well. Surprisingly enough, the Hornets also rank ninth in defensive rating since the All-Star break.

I’d lean Under here.

Raptors vs Hornets betting trend to know

The Under is 21-7 in Hornets' last 28 games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Hornets.

Raptors vs Hornets game info

Raptors vs Hornets key injuries

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