Scottie Barnes and the Raptors look to start March off in style as they host Stephen Curry and the red-hot Warriors at Scotiabank Arena (7:30 p.m. ET). Today we will prepare you for this 2019 NBA Finals rematch with BetMGM odds as well as our best bets, top props, and final score prediction.
"We the North" seems to be coming back in style since Toronto retooled its roster around Barnes. Despite shipping away Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby, and Precious Achiuwa, the young Raptors have won three of their past four games and suddenly find themselves just 4.5 games back from a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
The Warriors, meanwhile, have found themselves back in the loaded Western Conference playoff picture after winning 12 of their past 15 games. Curry and company will certainly make for another stiff challenge for the Raptors, after already facing the league's No. 1 scoring offense in Indiana and NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic and the Mavs earlier this week.
We can't wait for this one to unfold, and we're anxious to get our bets in on the moneyline, against the spread, and on the player and game prop over-unders. Here's everything you need to know about Raptors vs. Warriors, including odds, best bets and top props.
Raptors vs. Warriors picks against the spread and moneyline
All odds and props are from BetMGM, an authorized gaming operator of the NBA.
- ATS: Warriors -2.5 (-115) | Raptors +2.5 (-105)
- Moneyline: Warriors -140 | Raptors +115
- Over/under: O 236.5 (-105) | U 236.5 (-115)
The Raptors find themselves as underdogs on Friday night welcoming Curry and the Warriors to Scotiabank.
As for points, there should be plenty. The OVER has hit in seven of the past 10 games for Toronto. The Raptors have scored 116 or more points in nine of their past 14 games, and they're averaging 124.8 PPG over their past five contests.
That's pretty close to the 124.1 PPG Golden State has averaged in its 17 games since Jan. 24, when the team resumed play after the tragic death of assistant coach Dejan Milojević. Like the Raps, seven of the Dubs' past 10 games have gone OVER.
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Raptors vs. Warriors predictions against the spread and moneyline
We were initially going to recommend the Raptors against the spread, thinking the sportsbooks would open Toronto at +4.5 or more. However, it's clear that bettors and sportsbooks have caught on to this team, as 2.5 points yields little to no value for the underdog here.
With a hot Curry entering Scotiabank, we wouldn't touch the home squad with a ten-foot pole. Golden State comes in on the heels of a Thursday night clinic in Madison Square Garden, where the Warriors flat-out dominated in multiple ways.
We'll admit — few teams have moved the ball better than the Raptors. They now average a whopping 29.4 assists per game, third-most in the NBA, and they've logged 35.3 assists over their past three games. Their 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio in the month of February is about as good as it gets in the Association.
The Raptors are also shooting the ball well from three-point range, hitting well over 39 percent of their tries from outside the arc over the past three games. Over their 3-1 run the past four games, they have hit 54 total triples (13.5 per game). Good passing and shooting — sounds familiar, right?
Sounds like a blueprint to success written by Steve Kerr and Curry themselves. It sounds crazy, but these teams are playing similarly over the past 5-10 games. And with the barrage of overs they have combined to hit lately — a combined 14 of 20 — we can't imagine this being a low-scoring affair.
Injuries and the absence of Andrew Wiggins won't slow this Golden State team down. And if Toronto expects to beat the Warriors at their own game, it's got another thing coming.
MORE: Barnes proving he's the face of Toronto's future
The only teams that have beaten Golden State since last January — the Nuggets, Clippers, Kings, Lakers, and Hawks — have balanced strong interior play and rebounding with good outside shooting. The Raps have been too inconsistent in those departments to out-shoot or out-rebound the hungry Dubs.
We simply can't bring ourselves to bet on the Raptors to win or cover the +2.5, as we just saw Luka Doncic and the Mavericks systematically break their pride. Toronto has a lot of fight in it, but it's still not quite steady enough to regularly rock playoff-caliber opponents. Bet with your head, not your heart, and put your money on the Dubs.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Warriors 129, Raptors 125 — The Dubs win (-140) and narrowly cover the spread (-2.5) and the total goes well OVER (237.5).
Raptors vs. Mavericks: Top player prop bet
Immanuel Quickley three-pointers — OVER 2.5 (-155)
Quickley has been stroking the ball of late, knocking down a whopping 19 of his 37 attempts from deep over Toronto's 3-1 run. That's 51.4 percent from deep! In a game that should be fast-paced with lots of points, we're all-in on IQ smashing this projection into smithereens.
