It feels like a meteor is close to making a direct impact on the Toronto Raptors season. The Raptors have dropped six games in a row and now sit at 13-18. Their season is on the precipice, with rumors starting to swirl about moves the team might make in the coming weeks.
Things won’t get any easier as the Raps welcome the red-hot New York Knicks to town on Wednesday night. New York has won and covered eight straight games, with Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett, and Julius Randle all playing their best ball of the year.
Yet, the Knicks are laying just a small amount of chalk as 2-point home favorites. Are sportsbooks overlooking how bad the Raps have been? I dig through the numbers and bring you my best bet in our free NBA picks and predictions for Raptors vs. Knicks on December 21.
Raptors vs Knicks best odds
Raptors vs Knicks picks and predictions
The Raptors' season is quickly spiraling out of control. They have lost six in a row, thanks mostly to an offense that has been, um, stagnant.
The lone bright spot for Toronto through this rough stretch has been the play of Pascal Siakam. Despite his team's struggles, Siakam is doing his best to keep his team afloat. The All-NBA forward is averaging 25 points with 8.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game for the season.
On top of that, the Raptors’ star forward has also been taking more threes to help supplement a staggering offense. Siakam is taking 4.6 threes per game over his last nine contests, hitting 34.1% of those attempts. I think Siakam could jack up even a few more treys in this matchup against the Knicks.
A quick look at the Knicks' defensive numbers, and you’ll see their opponent's 3-point percentage is one of the best in the NBA. However, I think they’ve gotten a little lucky because they are allowing the third-most 3-point attempts per game as well.
Guys just aren’t hitting shots, and while that’s the case with most of the Raptors, Pascal is the exception. He’s also gone 6-for-13 from deep over his last two games.
I expect another tough game for the Raps incoming, where Siakam does all he can to keep his team in the game. That means hitting a couple of treys against a roster that allows tons of shots from beyond the arc.
The even money is an added bonus.
My best bet: Pascal Siakam Over 1.5 made 3-pointers (+100 at PointsBet)
Got an idea for a Raptors vs Knicks bet that you really like?
Try PointsBet's "Request Your Bet" feature — You name it, they'll price it.
Raptors vs Knicks spread analysis
Playing the Knicks on the spread didn’t make my best bet, but I still have a play on it.
New York opened this Atlantic Division matchup as slight 1.5-point home chalk, and the only conceivable reason for this is that the Knicks played last night. Luckily for Tom Thibodeau's group, they didn’t even have to go all out, crushing the Steph Curry-less Golden State Warriors 132-94 for their eighth consecutive win.
This is the same Warriors team that just beat down the Raptors over the weekend. If you’ve been watching the Raptors at all during this six-game losing streak, you can tell something looks off. The team looks disjointed on offense and isn’t hitting any shots. The defense that has been the calling card of this team early on has also taken a step back.
The Raptors are an interesting team. Overall, they rank 15th in offensive rating, but that is due to a defense that leads the league in steals. When the Raps get out and run, they can be dangerous in transition.
But the half-court offense has been putrid. The team lacks playmakers, and even their best shooters in Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. have been more cold than hot this season. As a result, the team ranks 28th in the NBA in effective field goal percentage.
Meanwhile, the Knicks rank seventh in the NBA when it comes to defensive rating, and their trio of Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett, and Julius Randle are all balling out right now. More importantly, they don’t turn over the ball a ton, ranking 10th in turnover rate.
The Raptors are just 3-12 straight up and 6-9 against the spread on the road this season. I just don’t see them keeping this game within one possession the way they are playing at the moment.
Jump on the Knicks -2, and I would play them up to -3.5.
Raptors vs Knicks Over/Under analysis
The total for this matchup hit the board at 218 and is down slightly to 217 as of Wednesday afternoon. Right now, I would lean toward the way of the early money.
I already broke down that the Raptors' offense stinks and is going against a solid Knicks defense, but that’s not the only reason to like the Under.
While the Knicks' offense has been playing well over this eight-game winning streak, the team relies pretty heavily on individual shot-making, as the team ranks 27th in the NBA when it comes to assist ratio. As a result, the Knicks’ effective field goal percentage isn’t all that much better than the Raptors’ (26th). That means the New York offense can go through cold streaks.
Mix in the fact that both teams rank in the bottom half of the NBA in terms of pace of play and that the Knicks are playing the second half of a back-to-back? The tempo in this game could slow down quite drastically.
Raptors vs Knicks betting trend to know
Toronto is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 road games, while New York is 4-0 ATS in its last four at Madison Square Garden. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Knicks.
Raptors vs Knicks game info
| Location: | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY |
| Date: | Wednesday, December 21, 2022 |
| Tip-off: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TSN, MSG |
Raptors vs Knicks key injuries
