The Toronto Raptors are an anomaly in today’s NBA. They already have four elite players (last year’s Rookie of the Year, Scottie Barnes; All-Star Guard Fred VanVleet; All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam; and O.G. Anunoby, maybe the best wing in the league when it comes to shutdown D and three-point shooting. Unlike a lot of players loaded with talent, though, they also have all of their first-round draft picks going forward. The only problem? The team’s record is 17-23, as the Raptors took an 11-9 start but followed it up with a 6-14 malaise. Since the start of the 2013-14 campaign, they have won 466 games, the most of any team in the East, and they have gotten to the postseason in eight of the last nine years. But are the wheels falling apart? That’s one thing to consider in the Association – and here’s another: your top two NBA betting picks to start the week.
NBA News: Top Betting Picks for the Week
→ Monday, January 9
L.A. Lakers (+10.5) at Denver Nuggets (O/U 241.5) (9:00 pm ET)
Los Angeles (19-21) has won five in a row, and they arrive in Denver to find the Nuggets having won four of five. This is the fourth and final meeting between the two teams, and the Lakers hold a 2-1 edge. The last time they met, LeBron James put up 30 points and nine boards, going 13 of 21 from the floor in a 126-108 win. The Lakers put up 22 points off Denver turnovers, and they scored 28 points on the break while scoring 64 in the paint. Their shooting was well above average (52.7% overall). James remains the leading scorer for the team (29.1 points per game), and he is also the team leader in the boards (8.2). Anthony Davis will not play, though, and the team’s third-best scorer, Russell Westbrook, is probable. Thomas Bryant has filled in well for AD, putting up 29 points and 14 boards in a last-second win over Sacramento.
Denver (26-13) knocked off the Clippers (122-91) and the Cavaliers (121-108) in an impressive back-to-back at home that ended on Friday. In the last meeting with the Lakers, Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 25 points and 11 rebounds, but the team’s shooting (48.1% overall, 33.3% from behind the arc) kept the Nuggets from keeping up with the Lakers. On the season, though, the Nuggets have shot 50.9% overall as a team, including 40.1% from three-point land. Jokic put up 28 points, 14 boards and 10 assists against Cleveland, and the return of Jamal Murray (18 points, 5.4 assists per game) and Michael Porter Jr will only give the Nuggets more options. Lakers to cover.
Orlando Magic (+6.5) at Sacramento Kings (O/U 237.5) (10:00 pm ET)
Orlando (15-25) started a five-game West Coast swing in San Francisco, beating Golden State, 115-101 on Saturday, despite entering as seven-point underdogs. Their defense limited the Warriors to just 37.5% shooting overall and permitted just 42 points in the second half. Orlando shot 50.6% overall and went 13 of 32 from three-point land. Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 25 points, while Franz Wagner contributed 24 and posted a +14 net rating on the night. Wendell Carter Jr had a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards, and Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz each added 16 points.
Sacramento (20-18) started a five-game homestand on Wednesday but dropped a 120-117 game to Atlanta. Then they lost to the Lakers, 136-134, on Saturday, despite being 7 ½-point favorites. A late call on a touch foul gifted the Lakers a pair of free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining, and Dennis Schroder converted from the stripe. Sacramento shot 52.3% from the floor, including a 14 of 32 night from behind the arc, but they also allowed 70 points in the paint despite 25 points and 12 boards from Domantas Sabonis. After the game, in his press conference, Sacramento coach Mike Brown noticed, “Bottom line is we have to figure out somehow, some way to stop people. Defensively, we are not good, at all.” Magic to cover.
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