The Toronto Raptors will be looking to taking a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series with Washington when they take on the Wizards in Game 2 on Tuesday as 7-point favourites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto overcame a four-point halftime deficit to claim a 114-106 win as 7.5-point chalk in Saturday’s series opener, marking its first Game 1 victory on home court in franchise history, and lifting the club to a heavy -730 favourite on the NBA series prices going into Tuesday night’s matchup at the Air Canada Centre.
The Raptors’ victory in Game 1 also helped to erase the memory of their stunning first-round loss to Washington three years ago. Toronto was outclassed in a four-game sweep by the Wizards in 2015, but has dominated Washington ever since, going 9-3 straight up while avoiding consecutive defeats in 12 meetings, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
In addition, the Raptors’ 114 points on Saturday marked their highest offensive output in a home date with Washington since February 2014, and handed them consecutive against-the-spread wins in home dates with the Wizards for the first time since 2013.
Toronto’s strong performance continues the club’s turnaround from a late-season swoon that saw it fail to cover during a 4-5 SU run. The Raptors have gone 5-1 SU in six overall contests since, with their lone defeat coming in the form of a 116-109 loss in Miami as 2.5-point underdogs in a meaningless season finale matchup on April 11.
The club has also performed well historically in Game 2 clashes on home hardwood, going 5-1 SU while holding opponents to 100 or fewer points in each of those victories. However, the Raptors’ strong start has failed to boost their position on the NBA championship odds, where they sit back at +1000.
For the Wizards, Saturday’s loss extended a miserable stretch during which they have gone 3-10 SU and 4-9 ATS in their past 13 contests. Washington has particularly struggled on the road, posting SU losses in seven straight, and has surrendered an average of 113.4 points per game over its past five road dates, fueling a 4-1 run for the OVER in totals betting.
Now a reduced +565 bet on the NBA series prices, the Wizards also enter Game 2 riding an 0-5 SU run in road dates with Toronto as underdogs of seven or more points, while covering just once in their past four such outings.
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