Raptors vs Nuggets Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Toronto Falls Flat Early

It’s over. The proverbial asteroid has hit and the Toronto Raptors are on the verge of extinction. Ever since the Scottie Barnes injury, things have gone from bad to worse — and the worst may be yet to come. 

The NBA odds have the Raptors as 15-point underdogs as they head on the road to take on the defending champion Denver Nuggets with an injury report that could give the Grizzlies a run for their money.

So, how do you attack a game with a massive spread like this? I break it all down and bring you the best bet, plus a same-game parlay, in my free NBA picks for Raptors vs. Nuggets.

Raptors vs Nuggets odds

Raptors vs Nuggets predictions

Things are not pretty for the Toronto Raptors these days.

Scottie Barnes broke his hand and it’s unlikely he'll play again this season. Since that injury, the Raptors are 1-4 straight up and against the spread with the lone win coming against the Hornets. 

In their latest loss, the Raptors were trailing a Trail Blazers team that had just two wins since the start of February by 17 points after the first quarter. A free-falling offense has been the biggest issue and the result has been some painfully slow starts. 

The Raptors rank 26th in offensive rating in the last four games without Barnes and the opening halves have been the worst part. Toronto is averaging just 42.5 points per first half, shooting 44.8% from the field during this period. Those numbers rank 29th and 28th in the NBA over that stretch.

Now, it has to be noted they’ve also been without starting center Jakob Poeltl and key reserve Bruce Brown for that stretch. 

Now's the time to look away Raptors fans. Joining Barnes and Poeltl on the bench for this matchup against the Denver Nuggets will be Immanuel Quickley, Gary Trent Jr., and Chris Boucher. RJ Barrett has been upgraded to probable after missing the last game and Brown is listed as questionable.

I don’t know how to say this other than, who the f#%& is going to score for the Raptors tonight? 

Not to mention the fact the Nuggets are an underrated defensive team that ranks sixth in defensive rating since coming out of the All-Star break and fifth in opponent effective field goal percentage for the season.

Things have gone so poorly for the Raptors lately that teams can let off the gas late in the game, allowing Toronto to spoil some full-game bets. Fading them in the first half looks like the way to go. And that’s exactly what we are doing tonight. 

My best bet: Raptors first-half team total Under 52.5 (-120 at PointsBet)

Raptors vs Nuggets same-game parlay

Raptors first-half team total Under 52.5

Nikola Jokic Over 9.5 assists

RJ Barrett 3+ made threes

+1,000 at PointsBet

This Raptors defense was struggling before Scottie Barnes got hurt, ranking 29th in defensive rating since Jan. 1, but losing your best defender won’t make things better. They've also surrendered the third-most assists per game over that stretch. So, I’m adding Nikola Jokic’s assists prop tonight.

It’s on the board at 9.5 at plus money. The fear here is the Raptors will be getting crushed so badly that the Nuggets pull all their starters after three quarters. Well, I think that’s all the time he'll need.

His assists are up to 10.2 per game over his last 10 games and blowout wins haven’t slowed him down. The Nuggets have five wins of 15+ points in their last nine games and he's logged 11+ assists in four of those. It seems Jokic emphasizes getting his teammates involved in these mismatches. I’ll be betting this as a single as well.

Someone has to shoot the basketball for the Raptors tonight. RJ Barrett will be their best player on the floor and he’s shot the ball well from beyond the arc since joining Toronto, hitting 42% of his 3-point attempts. He's hit 3+ threes in three of his last five games overall. Close this SGP out with Barrett to hit three more tonight. 

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Bet on Raptors basketball at PointsBet Canada

Looking to bet on some Raptors action? Join PointsBet, one of Canada’s favourite books for new bettors!

Sign Up Now 

Raptors vs Nuggets spread and Over/Under analysis

The Raptors opened this potential NBA massacre as 14-point road underdogs, and following the wave of injury updates — most notably that Immanuel Quickley would not be playing — the line has moved to Toronto +16.

The Raptors have not looked good since losing Barnes. They were outscored by 18 in the second half to the Warriors, barely beat the Hornets as 7.5-point favorites, and were crushed by the Pelicans 139-98. And even though they came back against the Blazers, that's a game they were down big in despite being favored.

The Nuggets are certainly capable of covering this spread. They just spanked the  Jazz 142-121 as 12.5-point home favorites in their last game, but they're just 5-7 ATS as double-digit favorites.

A recent Raptors meeting with the Suns saw them get down by 14 after the first quarter. The Suns put it in cruise control after that and Toronto was able to get the backdoor cover. I’m avoiding the full-game spread and doing most of my fading of the Raptors in the first-half markets.

Meanwhile, the total hit the board at 229.5 and is up very slightly to 230 as of Monday afternoon. If you like the Over, you’ll need the Nuggets to do the heavy lifting here, but Denver has also been one of the best Under bets in the NBA this season at 24-39-1 O/U.

I'm not sure the Raps can do enough for this one to eclipse the number.

Raptors vs Nuggets betting trend to know

The Nuggets have gone Under the total in 60 of their last 97 games for +21.5 units. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Nuggets.

Raptors vs Nuggets game info

Raptors vs Nuggets latest injuries

Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic