Expect Wednesday to be one of the wildest NBA slates of the year. Not only are there 11 games to choose from, but the trade deadline is also set for 3 p.m. ET tomorrow. That means teams who are looking to trade players could choose to rest them on tonight’s slate.
That is going to create some nice betting opportunities. If you’re willing to follow the news and act quickly, you should be able to snipe some excellent lines before the sportsbooks have a chance to adjust.
One game that I’ll be monitoring is the Nuggets vs. the Raptors. Toronto has lost nine straight games, and they’re coming off an 18-point loss to the Rockets in their last outing. Houston had previously lost 20 straight games before that victory, so the Raptors are clearly in the midst of a tailspin. Can they possibly compete against one of the best teams in the league?
Let’s dive in.
The Raptors have been nothing short of a disaster recently. They’ve dealt with more than their fair share of injuries this season, but they’ve been close to full strength of late. That hasn’t stopped them from dropping 11 of their past 12 games and posting a Net Rating of -8.8 points per 100 possessions over that time frame.
Their recent skid has dropped them to 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They’re definitely still alive for a potential playoff berth – the seven through 10 seeds will earn a shot via the new play-in tournament – but their odds are dwindling. They’re 2.5 games behind the Pacers for the crucial 10th spot in the standings.
That puts them at a crossroads. The Raptors have been contenders for years, and they managed to win a title in their only year with Kawhi Leonard. They’ve had one hell of a run, but Masai Ujiri is going to have to look in the mirror and decide if they can keep going. Ujiri has always been an aggressive general manager, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he decided to blow things up.
If that is the case, the Raptors could be without several key players while searching for trade partners. Kyle Lowry is someone who they should be particularly interested in moving. He will go down as a legendary member of the Raptors’ franchise, but he’s on the downside of his career at nearly 35 years old. He would be much better suited at this point trying to help a contender than trying to scratch and claw the Raps into the playoffs.
Ultimately, I don’t see how I can pass up on the Nuggets tonight. They’re only three-point road favorites, and that line might be low even if the Raptors are at full strength. That makes it a tremendous value if there’s even just a slight chance that they’re limited.
There has already been some significant line movement on today’s slate.
The Bucks have seen one of the largest line moves. They initially opened up as three-point favorites vs. the Celtics, but the line has crept all the way to Bucks -6.0 on FanDuel Sportsbook.
The big reason for that involves the health of Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was ruled out of the Bucks’ last contest, and he’s currently listed as questionable. That said, the line activity definitely seems to suggest that the sportsbooks think he’s going to play.
Find out who our betting model likes in each of tonight’s 11 NBA contests, including Nets vs. Jazz.
Joe Cervenka highlights a few player props providing value on Wednesday’s slate of games at FanDuel Sportsbook.
