The Toronto Raptors will be looking to snap out of a season-opening funk that has dumped them to the bottom of the league standings when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Friday night as early 5-point road favourites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto opened its current four-game Western road trip with a 123-115 loss in Phoenix on Wednesday night and takes an 0-4 SU road record into Friday’s matchup at Golden 1 Center.
Overall, the team has tallied just one outright victory in seven outings this season, leaving them just a half-game out of the basement in the NBA league standings, just ahead of the Detroit Pistons. The Raptors have also disappointed at the sportsbooks this year, going 1-6 against the spread, including outright losses in four of five outings as the betting favourite.
The team has been consistently steady in the early minutes of games this season, leading the NBA with a 6-1 ATS record in first-quarter wagering at sports betting sites. However, a porous defence has emerged as a major concern, with the team surrendering an average of 123 points per game during its current three-game SU losing streak. That has spawned a 3-0 run for the OVER in totals betting, with the OVER going 3-1 in the Raptors’ four road contests.
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The Raptors’ dismal start has taken its toll on the team’s odds to win the Eastern Conference. Toronto sported odds as short as +1000 in the days leading up to the start of the regular season, but now sits well off the pace as a lengthy +2000 wager on those futures.
Fortunately, the Raptors face an opponent on Friday that is dealing with some early-season struggles of their own. The Kings welcome Toronto to town after hanging on for a 128-124 win over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. Sacramento has claimed victory in three of four home dates this season, but has struggled in recent contests, going 2-4 SU in its past six games overall, and failing to cover in each of its past three outings.
The Kings have also regularly come up short against the Raptors, losing outright in six straight meetings, and covering just once during that stretch. Complicating matters further for the Kings is a hamstring injury for point guard and top scorer De’Aaron Fox, who was forced to leave Wednesday’s win over Chicago. Fox is listed as questionable for Friday night’s game.
