The Toronto Raptors (28-31) will wrap up their five-game homestand when they face the New Orleans Pelicans (30-29) on Thursday night. Toronto won three of its first four games of the homestand, wrapping up the first half of the season with a 123-113 win over Orlando last Tuesday. New Orleans is playing the third game of a four-game road trip that began with a win over Oklahoma City and a loss to the Lakers.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from Scotiabank Arena. Toronto is favored by 6 points in the latest Raptors vs. Pelicans odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 226. Before entering any Pelicans vs. Raptors picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model exits the NBA All-Star break on a stunning 55-30 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Raptors vs. Pelicans. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Pelicans vs. Raptors:
- Raptors vs. Pelicans spread: Raptors -6
- Raptors vs. Pelicans over/under: 226 points
- Raptors vs. Pelicans money line: Toronto -225, New Orleans +185
- Raptors vs. Pelicans picks: See picks here
Why the Raptors can cover
Toronto enters the second half of the season with momentum after winning five of its previous six games. The Raptors won three of their first four games on their current homestand, beating Orlando in their final game before the All-Star break. Center Jakob Poeltl, who was acquired from San Antonio prior to the trade deadline, scored 30 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked six shots in his second start with Toronto.
The Raptors were dealing with some key injuries heading into the All-Star break, but they are expected to have OG Anunoby (wrist) and Gary Trent Jr. (calf) back on Thursday. They used their recent surge to take control of the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, sitting two games ahead of Chicago. New Orleans has struggled away from home, recording just one win in its last eight road games.
Why the Pelicans can cover
The Pelicans have gotten used to playing without star Zion Williamson, who will be sidelined for several more weeks due to a hamstring injury. They entered the All-Star break ranked seventh in the Western Conference, and they cruised to a 126-108 win over Toronto in the first meeting between these teams this season. Small forward Trey Murphy III poured in 26 points and grabbed five rebounds on 8 of 17 shooting in that game.
Center Jonas Valanciunas dominated Toronto in the paint, posting a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Veteran Brandon Ingram is averaging 22.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, while CJ McCollum is adding 21.1 points and 5.9 assists. New Orleans has won four of the last five meetings between these teams and has covered the spread in all five of those contests.
How to make Pelicans vs. Raptors picks
The model has simulated Raptors vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick where one side has all of the value. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Pelicans vs. Raptors? And which side of the spread has all of the value? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Raptors vs. Pelicans spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
