On the heels of back-to-back 50-win seasons, the Toronto Raptors are in fine form ahead of their first-round series with the Milwaukee Bucks which gets underway North of the border on Saturday. The sixth-seeded Bucks, who are one of the youngest and most athletic teams in the NBA, will be more than up to the challenge of knocking off the third-seeded Raptors.
- The Bucks are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games against the Raptors.
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of the Raptors' last 8 games at home.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Bucks' last 5 games.
Toronto overcame a laundry list of adversity to earn home-court advantage, and superstar point guard Kyle Lowry is back in the fold at the perfect time. Lowry, who underwent wrist surgery in late February, was forced to sit out of the team’s remaining 21 games but the Dinos proceeded to go 14-7 SU without him.
The trade deadline additions of Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker have been instrumental in the Raptors’ turnaround, as the pair of forwards have added an unprecedented amount of toughness to a roster that sorely needed it. With Ibaka and Tucker in the mix, the Raps have one of the deepest lineups in the Association from top to bottom.
If the young Bucks are going to stand a chance against the battle-tested Raptors, they’ll need to rely heavily on superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak finished the regular season ranked in the top 20 in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, becoming the first player in history to do so for an entire season. The Raptors don’t have anyone who matches up well with the 22-year-old, so expect a big series from him.
Raptors bettors beware: this franchise has been downright terrible in Game 1's. Since their first postseason appearance in 2000, the Raps are 1-10 SU and 2-9 ATS. The current core of the team led by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have put up uninspiring efforts in series-openers against Cleveland, Miami, Indiana, Washington and Brooklyn in the last three years.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Those looking to pick the visitors as their prediction to cover in this one found the Milwaukee Bucks listed as 6.5-point underdogs earlier at Sportsbook. Meanwhile, the OVER/UNDER total betting line for this game was set at 203.5 at Sportsbook but may have moved since the betting odds opened.
Odds Shark prediction models pick the Raptors to win this game 110-89. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NBA matchups here.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Toronto Raptors Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Toronto Raptors are 51-31 so far on the NBA season, and 44-36-2 ATS vs the spread betting line. The Milwaukee Bucks, meanwhile, are 42-40 and 36-46 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Toronto go 44-37-1 and the Bucks go 43-38-1 on the total. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Toronto vs Milwaukee injuries news.
The Odds Shark betting Power Rankings have the Toronto Raptors at No. 8 and the Milwaukee Bucks at No. 18 heading into this NBA contest.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively the game matches up Toronto's No. 10-ranked offense (106.85 PPG) against a Milwaukee Bucks defense that ranks No. 9 at 103.8 PPG. The Toronto Raptors have averaged 46.42% from the field per game, less than the Milwaukee Bucks have managed so far this NBA season (47.41% on average).
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Bucks endured a 112-94 loss at the hands of the Celtics on Wednesday, despite a 15-point effort from Michael Beasley at TD Garden.
The Raptors got 25 points from Norman Powell as Toronto ran past Cleveland 98-83 on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena.
- Milwaukee is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
- Milwaukee is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games
- Milwaukee is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games
- Toronto is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games
- Toronto is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 9 games
- Toronto is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Milwaukee at Toronto, Tuesday, April 18th
