Raptors vs. Hornets Prediction
Are the Raptors a good bet to beat the Hornets tonight at 7:00PM ET coming off a loss to the lowly 76ers?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Hornets are 1-point home favorites versus the Raptors after they opened as 2-point favorites. As for the total, the number hit the board at 216 but has been bet down to 215 at the majority of sports books.
The Raptors’ big two of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan did their part on Wednesday but Toronto still fell to Philadelphia, 94-89. Lowry returned from a day of rest to finish with 24 points with four rebounds, five steals and three 3-pointers. DeRozan, meanwhile, added 25 points on 11-of-21 shooting with one 3-point attempt in 38 minutes. He also had six assists, three boards, one steal and just two turnovers in the loss.
The Hornets finally snapped a five-game losing streak with a 107-85 win over the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Leading scorer Kemba Walker finished with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range, and 3-of-5 shooting from the line. Roy Hibbert added 16 points while Nicolas Batum finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in the win.
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OUR PREDICTION: The Raptors have had their issues covering in Charlotte (they’re just 3-8 against the spread in their last 11 road games against the Hornets), but I love them coming off a loss. They’re 7-2 against the number in their last nine games following defeat and are a solid 16-5 at the betting window in their last 21 conference games. The Raptors have also covered in four of their last five games overall while the Hornets are winless at 0-8 against the number in their last eight games versus Atlantic Division opponents.
FRIDAY NBA PREDICTION: TORONTO RAPTORS +1