The Toronto Raptors will be looking to snap a two-game straight-up losing streak when they open a four-game road trip in Boston on Friday as 1.5-point underdogs on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto has encountered its first bit of adversity for the 2018-19 season after dropping a 106-104 decision to the visiting Detroit Pistons as a 9.5-point home favourite on Wednesday. They will be looking to avoid recording three consecutive losses for the first time since February 2017 when the team hits the floor for Friday night’s matchup at TD Garden.
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The Raptors’ mini swoon brings a halt to a 12-1 straight-up start that established a new franchise record and vaulted the club to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The team’s fast start has also quickly buried the memory of recent early exits from playoff action.
After meekly bowing out of the post-season in consecutive second-round series sweeps to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Raptors opened their campaign sporting +1400 odds to win the NBA championship. But the team’s fast start has quickly revived those odds, vaulting Toronto to a +850 championship bet, behind only the Golden State Warriors.
Despite their impressive start, the Raptors have emerged as a shaky wager during the first month of the NBA season. Following this week’s outright losses to the Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans as home favourites, the Raptors are now 1-2-1 against the spread over their past four games, and 7-7-1 against the spread on the season, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
The Celtics return to action as slim home chalk after tallying a lopsided 111-82 victory as 13-point favorites over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. With the win, Boston hopes to have rebounded from a dismal five-game road trip through the Western Conference. The Celtics posted just one straight-up victory while going winless against the spread during last week’s junket, which they capped with Sunday’s 100-94 loss in Portland as 2-point underdogs.
Boston’s recent slide comes on the heels of a respectable 6-2 straight-up start, and has dumped the team 3.5 games back of the Raptors in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics, though, have been steady performers in limited action on home hardwood, winning three straight to improve to 4-1 SU on the season.
The Celtics have also been a reliable wager while pegged as home chalk of two or fewer points, going 9-2 straight-up and 8-3 against the spread in their past 11 such outings, but are just 1-2 straight-up and against the spread in three home dates with the Raptors while favoured by two or fewer points.
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