Raptors fans, the misery that has been the second half of the 2023-24 season is almost over. And NBA bettors will soon lose one of the best goose that lays the golden eggs of the campaign.
The Raptors have lost no less than 14 games in a row and now have a date with a Timberwolves team with a 52-23 record on Wednesday in Minnesota (8:00 p.m., TSN). An ugly stretch could get even uglier for the 905.
Toronto has lost 14 consecutive games for the fourth time since becoming an NBA franchise in 1995-96. If Darko Rajaković’s team doesn’t get a win soon, it could break the franchise record for longest losing streak (17, back in 1997-98). If the Raps continue to lose, they will break the franchise record against Pascal Siakam and the Pacers at home on April 9. How ironic!
Meanwhile, the wolves are still hungry. They have won eight of their last 10 games and are just 0.5 games behind the defending champion Nuggets for first place in the West. Home field advantage during the Western Conference Playoffs would obviously be huge for Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and company: Minnesota is 27-10 at home this season.
Let’s dive into the odd for this lopsided battle between conferences, then discover some stats and trends and reveal our predictions, best bets and best BetMGM player accessories.
Raptors at Wolves odds, pick vs. spread
All odds and props are from BetMGM, an authorized NBA gaming operator.
- ETA: Wolves -15.5 (-115) | Raptors +15.5 (-105)
- Money line: Wolves -1400 | Raptors +800
- Below: Or 215.5 (-105) | U 215.5 (-115)
There are no surprises here. The shorthanded Raptors have gone 10-26 on the road this season, and are 1-8 against the spread in their last nine games. That tells us that their losses lately haven’t even been that close. They can’t stay hot offensively or step up defensively to slow down superior offensive players.
The Raps’ average margin of defeat during this 13-game streak: 17.1 points. His record against the spread in that span: 3-11. New York crushed Toronto 145-101 last Wednesday, then Philadelphia beat the Raps 135-120 on Sunday and the Lakers beat them 128-111 on Tuesday.
Seven of the Raptors’ last nine games have been BELOW the projected total, but the Wolves’ games have been over in nine of the 11 cases they have been at the end of a consecutive game.
