After parting ways with two key veterans, and watching as Eastern Conference rivals improved their lineups, the Toronto Raptors are expected to take a step back this season with their projected win total set at just 42.5 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Raptors topped 50 wins for a fifth straight year last season, with their 53-19 record ranking behind only the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks. However, the team was forced to make some hard decisions during the offseason that included letting veterans Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka both leave town as free agents.
Despite the tempered expectations, there is still plenty for Raptors fans to look forward to this season. With veteran Kyle Lowry and a freshly signed Fred VanVleet anchoring the lineup, the Raptors sport -165 odds of winning over 42.5 games during the upcoming 72-game season, and remain a strong -400 wager at online betting sites to return to the NBA playoffs for an eighth straight year.
However, Toronto currently ranks sixth among Eastern Conference teams in projected win totals. In addition to lagging behind Milwaukee, the Raptors have also been overtaken by Boston, Brooklyn, Miami, and Philadelphia.
Winners in 48 games last season, the Celtics ended the Raptors’ playoff run with a second-round series victory in seven games, and return to action sporting +100 odds of winning over 45.5 games. Kevin Durant’s highly anticipated return after missing all of last season due to injury has given the Nets a huge lift; after finishing better than .500 just once in the past six years, Brooklyn is a -120 wager to win over 45.5 games this time around.
The defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat will only enjoy seven dates against lightweight Southeast Division rivals over the first half of the season, while playing 14 total games against Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Toronto, and the Los Angeles teams. However, that daunting schedule has not dampened the Heat’s position on the win totals, where they sit as a -105 wager to top last season’s 44 wins.
And the Bucks have lots to prove after making yet another early playoff exit last season, and superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo should be highly motivated as he approaches unrestricted free agency. However, Milwaukee sits as a short -160 bet on those NBA odds to fall short of their projected 51-win total.
Fresh off their first NBA championship win in a decade, the Lakers trail Milwaukee with -125 odds of topping 47.5 wins, just ahead of the rival Clippers, who are favoured with -120 odds to win over 46.5 games. Further down the NBA win totals, the 76ers and Denver Nuggets join Miami at 44.5, while the Dallas Mavericks sit alongside the Raptors at 42.5.
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