The Toronto Raptors will be looking to open the NBA season on a 5-0 run for the first time in three years when they welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to town on Wednesday as 8-point favourites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Raptors have used methodical efficiency during their season-opening four-game win streak. The club has posted victories by double-digit margins in each of its three home dates, capped by Monday’s decisive 127-106 win over Charlotte as 8.5-point home chalk that extended its against-the-spread win streak to three games going into Wednesday night’s Timberwolves versus Raptors betting matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
Toronto has been getting the job done both with and without Kawhi Leonard in the lineup. The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year joined the Raptors along with Danny Green in a blockbuster trade this summer that sent DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs.
The 27-year-old shooting forward was spectacular in his Raptors debut, draining 24 points and adding 12 rebounds in Toronto’s 116-104 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers as 12.5-point home favourites on opening night. Leonard racked up 31 points and 10 rebounds two nights later in a 113-101 win over the Boston Celtics as 3-point chalk before getting the night off in last weekend’s 117-113 win in Washington as 2-point underdogs.
And Leonard’s strong debut has gained him early attention on the NBA MVP odds, where he opened among the favourites as a +950 bet, while the Raptors’ fast start has buoyed their NBA championship odds to +1200, just ahead of the +1400 odds they sported opening night.
Conversely, it has been an uneven start for the Timberwolves, who travel to Toronto after evening their SU record at 2-2 with a 101-91 win over Indiana as 2-point home chalk on Monday night. The Timberwolves have returned to action looking to build on last season’s 47-35 record, which earned them their first trip to the NBA playoffs since 2004.
While Minnesota turned in an impressive performance in its win over Indiana, the club remains winless on the road this season, failing to cover in a pair of road outings capped by a 140-136 loss in Dallas as 1.5-point underdogs on Saturday.
The Timberwolves have also struggled in recent visits to Toronto, losing 14 straight since 2004, but are 3-3 SU in their past six overall against the Raptors, covering in five of those contests, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
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