NBA Betting Prediction on Toronto at Houston

Posted by Ryan Knuppel on Thursday,March 24, 2016 12:40, EDT in

Over the course of the NBA betting season, it’s tough to look at one loss being more harmful than another, but that really all depends on the timing. A loss at the start of the year doesn’t really seem to do very much damage, but that same loss in the final couple of weeks of the regular season can be tough to take. The Toronto Raptors loss to the Boston Celtics this week was a pretty big one, as it may well end up being the loss that prevents the Raptors from catching the Cleveland Cavaliers at the top of the Eastern Conference. It is not just one loss that has hurt the Rockets at this stage of the season, but rather 3 in a row that has seen them fall out of a playoff spot. The match-up between the Raptors and Rockets on Friday night is probably a lot more important to Houston than to Toronto, but make no mistake, this is a big game.

NBA Betting Prediction on Toronto at Houston and TV Info

When: Friday, March 25 at 8 PM EST
Where: Toyota Center, Houston
TV: SN1
Radio: Toronto / Houston
Live Stream: NBA.com
NBA Odds: TBA

Why Bet on the Toronto Raptors

Disappointing doesn’t even really begin to describe the performance that the Toronto Raptors (48-22) put in against Boston earlier this week. The 79 points scored by Toronto was their second lowest this season, and they now find themselves 2.5 games back of the Cavaliers for top spot in the East. That likely means that Toronto are going to have to settle for the second seed, which in the grand scheme of things really isn’t all that bad. They will want to rebound in a big way on Friday, though, and the Rockets might well be the perfect opponent to make that happen. That said, Houston is not a team that the Raptors have had a great deal of success against in recent years. Toronto are averaging 102.7 PPG, and are giving up 98.2 PPG.

Why Bet on the Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets (35-37) are one of the most confounding teams in the NBA this season. This is a team that has a ton of talent at its disposal, but which has played a game of Jekyll and Hyde all season long. They have looked for a while now as though they were going to do just enough to get a playoff spot, but they have now lost 3 in a row, and find themselves on the outside looking in. It is still close enough that a win or two could vault them back into the 7th seed, but given how the Spurs and Warriors are playing this season, the 7 and 8 seeds look like they are reserved for lambs to the slaughter. The Rockets are averaging 105.9 PPG, and are giving up 106.8 PPG.

Expert Betting Pick and Final Score Prediction

You have to go all the way back to the 2007-07 season to find the last time that the Raptors got a win in Houston. That’s a long losing streak, but one that I think will be broken on Friday night.

Toronto Raptors 106 Houston Rockets 100