The Toronto Raptors will be looking to maintain their slim lead atop the NBA Eastern Conference standings on Wednesday night when they visiting the freefalling Orlando Magic as 8-point favourites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto powered to a lopsided 123-94 win over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Monday to maintain a slender half-game lead over second-place Boston in the Eastern standings going into Wednesday night’s Raptors versus Magic betting matchup at Amway Center.
With their victory over the Pistons the Raptors have now claimed straight-up victories in 13 of their last 17 contests, and have rewarded bettors with against-the-spread wins in seven of their past nine outings.
A ferocious offence has powered the Raptors’ climb to the top of the standings. Toronto has averaged 117.33 points per game over its past 12 outings, and has topped 120 points on five occasions. That has produced eight wins by double-digit margins during that stretch; however the point total went OVER in just seven of those 12 matchups.
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The Raptors’ recent strong play has done little to boost their position on the NBA championship odds. Despite owning the NBA’s best home record and the league’s third-ranked offence, Toronto continues to lag behind the favourites at +1800 on the title futures.
While the Raptors have taken over the Eastern lead, the Magic have struggled through a six-game SU slide that leaves them just a half-game ahead of last-place Atlanta in the conference standings.
Orlando returns home after dropping a 112-105 decision in Oklahoma City as a 10-point underdog on Monday night. The Magic have allowed over 111 points per game during their current swoon, but have also cracked the century mark in each of their six losses, posting ATS wins on three occasions.
It proved to be a high-scoring affair the last time these two teams met. The Raptors recorded a 131-112 win as 7-point favourites in a clash at the Air Canada Centre on March 27, but they are just 2-2 SU in their past four visits to Orlando, according to the OddsShark NBA Database, including a 102-93 loss as 5-point chalk in February 2017.
Following Wednesday’s contest the Raptors travel to Washington for a Friday night date with the Wizards before returning home to face the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
Toronto has tallied just two wins in five meetings with the Wizards, but is 4-1 SU in its last five visits to Capitol One Arena. The Raptors have taken seven of nine from Charlotte, and have averaged 126 points per game in three straight wins over the Hornets.
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