The Toronto Raptors will try to rebound from Wednesday’s 110-106 loss to the Charlotte Hornets when they host the Indiana Pacers on Friday night as six-point betting favourites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto blew an eight-point fourth-quarter lead against the Hornets while losing as 5.5-point home chalk, and remains three games back of the Boston Celtics in the Atlantic Division standings ahead of Friday night’s Pacers-Raptors betting matchup at the Air Canada Centre.
The loss also halted a six-game straight-up (SU) winning streak for the Raptors, who have surrendered an average of 112.6 points per game over their past three contests at home. Despite their recent defensive struggles, though, the Raptors have regularly produced SU wins at the Air Canada Centre, going 13-7 SU in their past 20 home games.
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The Pacers take a two-game SU and against-the-spread (ATS) slide into Toronto following a 110-97 loss in Memphis as four-point underdogs. The loss dropped Indiana to a dismal 8-16 SU in its past 24 outings overall, and 2-10 SU on the road while covering on just four occasions.
Indiana’s swoon now leaves them clearly positioned on the playoff bubble, tied with Miami for seventh place in the Eastern Conference and just ahead of the Chicago Bulls with seven games remaining on the regular-season schedule.
The Raptors have dominated in recent regular-season matchups with the Pacers, winning SU in seven of eight and covering in 11 of 12, according to the OddsShark NBA Database, including a 116-91 win at the Air Canada Centre as 2.5-point favourites on March 19.
These two clubs also clashed in a memorable seven-game series in last year’s playoffs, with the Raptors prevailing on the strength of three home victories. However, Toronto is just 1-3 ATS in its past four against the Pacers while favoured by more than five points.
Following Friday’s matchup the Raptors close out their current four-game homestand with a visit from the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday before traveling to Indiana on Tuesday for a rematch with the Pacers.
Philadelphia enters its Friday night matchup in Cleveland on a shaky 2-4 SU run, but has been an outstanding performer at the sportsbooks since early February, going 18-6 ATS in its past 24 games. The Sixers also recorded a 94-89 win as 5.5-point underdogs in their last trip to Toronto, ending a 14-game SU losing streak against the Raptors.
