The Toronto Raptors will continue the search for their first road win of the season on Wednesday night when they visit the Phoenix Suns as 3.5-point underdogs on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Raptors are coming off a 126-114 loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday night as six-point home chalk, and will be looking to avoid the team’s slowest start in eight years when they hit the hardwood for Wednesday night’s matchup at PHX Arena.
The Raptors have struggled to contain opposing shooters during their current two-game straight-up losing streak, surrendering 123 points per game. And with Toronto shooters tallying 100 or fewer points in three of the team’s six outings to date, the Raptors have been a massive betting disappointment while going 1-5 against the spread at online betting sites.
The road has been particularly harsh for the Raptors. The team is winless straight-up and against the spread in three dates away from their temporary home at Tampa Bay’s Amalie Arena, including outright losses in San Antonio and New Orleans as betting favourites. The Raptors’ road swoon has been marked by disappointing second-half performances, with the team blowing substantial leads after the break in each of those contests.
Now poised to open the season on a dismal 1-6 straight-up run for the first time in eight years, the Raptors have lost substantial ground on the NBA championship odds. The team now lags as a distant +5000 wager to claim its second NBA title in three years after opening the campaign sporting much more respectable +3000 odds.
While the Raptors fade, the Suns are shining during their fastest start in seven years. Wins in five of their first seven contests have lifted the Suns, at least briefly, into a tight race for the top of the Western Conference standings. Phoenix is coming off a 112-107 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers that denied them sole possession of first place in the West. That defeat as 3.5-point home underdogs also put the brakes on a four-game straight-up and against-the-spread win streak.
The Suns have been steady performers as betting favourites early on, going 3-1 straight-up and against the spread, including a pair of wins on home hardwood. The team has gotten the job done with steady defence, limiting opponents to an NBA-best 100.6 points per game, and to fewer than 100 points in two of three home outings.
However, the Suns have work to do to reverse a six-game straight-up losing streak against the Raptors, who are also 2-2 SU and ATS in their past four trips to the desert as betting underdogs according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
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