Our SI Gambling insider Corey Parson has spent the last few weeks eyeing his favorite bets ahead of the NBA season restart in the Orlando bubble. Today, he wraps things up with a look at the Toronto Raptors' projected win total.
The defending champion Toronto Raptors are in the bubble and looking to repeat as NBA Champions. NBA Coach of the Year Candidate Nick Nurse and his Raptors squad are currently the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto Raptors Seeding Round Team Total Wins - 4.5
Over 4.5 (-115) Under 4.5 (-115)
Opponents: Los Angeles Lakers, Miami, Orlando, Boston, Memphis, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Denver
Record vs Seeding Round Opponents: 8-7
I have to start out by saluting Nick Nurse for doing a masterful job of getting his team into this position after losing Kawhi Leonard last summer. The Raptors dealt with injuries to their core group throughout the season, but here they are with a good chance to repeat.
The only team in the East with a better record than the Raptors are the Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors have a three-game lead over the third-seeded Boston Celtics, Toronto is in a very good spot for the playoffs,
Raptors Insider Aaron Rose breaks down Toronto's seeding round schedule:
"Toronto's first official seeding game will take place on August 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers at 8:30 p.m. After that, the Raptors will play the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets."
Toronto is capable of beating every team on here. The issue is, they don't have to. Many of these teams have something to play for in the seeding round, whereas Toronto has put themselves in a spot to treat these games like exhibitions. They have the real playoffs to focus on.
I'm going to take the under on the Raptors seeding round win total of 4.5 (-115) but I'm also going to place a future on the Raptors to win the East at +700 via the DraftKings Sportsbook.