The Toronto Raptors will have a lot to prove when they open their 2018-19 NBA regular season schedule on Wednesday with a home date against the Cleveland Cavaliers as heavy 12-point favourites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Following major personnel changes during the off-season Toronto opens the campaign looking for redemption following consecutive second-round playoff exits, but trails as a +1400 wager on the NBA championship odds going into Wednesday night’s matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
The Raptors exceeded the expectations of many observers last season, marching to the top of the Eastern Conference standings with a franchise-record 59 wins. But the club faltered once again in the post-season, falling in four straight in the second round to the LeBron James-led Cavaliers for a second straight year.
Team president Masai Ujiri responded to the club’s failure with bold moves, parting ways with bench boss Dwane Casey (named the NBA’s coach of the year) and capturing headlines with a blockbuster trade that sent fan favourite DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for disgruntled star Kawhi Leonard.
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With Leonard reportedly overcoming his initial resistance to making the move to Toronto, the Raptors have emerged as a -125 bet to win OVER 55.5 games this season. But with the team yet to shake its dismal playoff record, the Raptors lag on the NBA Eastern Conference futures, sporting +400 odds, back of the favoured Boston Celtics at -130, and the Philadelphia 76ers, who edge out Toronto at +375 odds.
With James departing for the Los Angeles Lakers this past summer, it will be a different Cavaliers squad that arrives in town on Wednesday night. Sporting a roster core that features veterans Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, and J.R. Smith, the Cavaliers are expected to face an uphill battle in the first season of the post-LeBron era, and trail at a distant +8000 on the Eastern Conference odds.
Following Wednesday’s contest, the competition picks up with the Celtics visiting Toronto on Friday before the Raptors travel to Washington for their first road date of the season on Saturday.
Sitting second only to the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors at +500 on the NBA championship futures, the Celtics open the season amid high expectations. Celtics stars Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving are reportedly back to full health after an injury-plagued campaign last season.
However, the Celtics have struggled in recent visits to Toronto. The Raptors have dominated in six straight wins, claiming victory by double-digit margins in four of those outings, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
