The Toronto Raptors will be looking to avoid losing three games in a row for the first time since mid-November when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday as 4.5-point favourites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Raptors are coming off a disappointing 107-95 loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, and have now fallen to straight-up defeat in three of five contests as they hit the road for a three-game road trip that gets underway with Friday night’s Raptors vs. Pelicans betting matchup at Smoothie King Center.
The Raptors’ struggles began with a 113-98 loss to the Orlando Magic as seven-point home chalk on February 25. The club rebounded with a pair of character wins over the visiting Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers before once again stumbling against a team well behind them in the standings, posting a 112-107 loss in Detroit as 2-point favourites last weekend. Toronto then lost to the Rockets while favoured by 3.5 points.
The team’s mini-slump has also extended their recent woes at the sportsbooks, where the Raptors have produced just one win against the spread in nine outings, leaving them ranked 29th in the NBA with a 26-38-1 ATS record.
Despite those struggles, the Raptors have performed well of late on the road, winning outright in four of their past five to improve their third-ranked SU road record to 19-12 on the season. That strong play away from Scotiabank Arena has been key to Toronto’s continued presence near the top of the standings, where they continue to closely trail the Milwaukee Bucks in the hunt for first place in both the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors have also moved past the Bucks on the NBA futures, returning to their familiar early-season perch as favourites to claim their first-ever Eastern Conference title with +210 odds. Toronto also sits second to the Golden State Warriors on the NBA championship odds as a +850 wager.
Toronto has enjoyed regular success against the Pelicans, who enter Friday’s contest riding a two-game SU losing streak on home hardwood. The Raptors dropped a 126-110 decision to the Pelicans as a 9.5-point home chalk on November 12, which also marked the start of their most recent three-game slide. However, Toronto claimed outright wins in their previous six meetings, and is a reliable 6-1 SU and ATS in seven trips to the Big Easy since January 2011.
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