The Toronto Raptors will be looking to extend their straight-up win streak in regular-season dates with Washington to six games when they host the struggling Wizards on Friday night as opening 10-point betting favourites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto is coming off a decisive 112-99 win in Detroit on Wednesday, and has now posted SU wins in three straight overall contests going into Friday’s matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
The Raptors have steadily regained their composure after falling to defeat in four of five outings earlier this month, including a trio of outright losses on home court. Toronto kicked off its current surge with a solid 110-102 win over Brooklyn, and followed up with a 133-113 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers as 12.5-point chalk at online betting sites on Monday before continuing its recent strong play on the road in the Motor City.
The victory over the Pistons as 2-point betting favourites came at a sizeable cost, however, with Marc Gasol, Norman Powell and Pascal Siakam suffering injuries that have left them sidelined indefinitely going forward.
Gasol has been a key to the Raptors’ early-season success, averaging 5.8 defensive rebounds per game while contributing on offense with 3.4 assists per game. Powell has been enjoying a breakthrough campaign while starting in place of the injured Fred VanVleet, topping 20 points in three starts ahead of Wednesday’s contest. VanVleet has missed the past five games with a knee injury and is considered questionable for Friday night.
With the team hobbled by injury, a matchup with the Wizards could not have come at a better time. The Raptors’ offence has been firing on all cylinders during their current run against Washington, averaging 122 points per game. But with the Wizards averaging 129 points over their past two meetings with the Raptors, Toronto has failed to cover the posted spread in their two most recent head-to-head wins according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
However, the Wizards arrive in Toronto looking for answers after dropping a 110-109 decision to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday that marked their 10th SU loss in 13 games. Overall, it is shaping up to be a lost season for Washington, which sits 12th in the Eastern Conference standings with an 8-18 record.
Washington also lost by double-digit margins in five of its 10 recent defeats, and has struggled badly on the road, going 4-11 SU so far this season. The Wizards, though, have produced respectable results at the sportsbooks on the road at 8-6-1 ATS this year.
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