Toronto Raptors vs.Charlotte Hornets. Prediction, Odds
- Pick: Raptors -3.5
- Odds: -417 (Tonybet)
The Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets both come into this matchup fresh off pretty disappointing losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. The Raptors fell 104-125 while the Hornets lost 82-135, both of which were some of their worst losses so far this season.
However, Toronto should still have a good chance to take this one away, especially if Pascal Siakam actually decides to show up and drop more than 15 points. The one-two punch of Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes should be enough to put away the injury-ridden Hornets.
4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/aeaN81jJc8
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 16, 2023
Siakam and Barnes should both have no issues abusing Charlotte’s weak inside presence, scoring off drives, and being in transition all night.
On Charlotte’s side of things, they’re unlikely to have much momentum coming into this game, especially considering they have lost four straight with both New Orleans and Philadelphia destroying them inside.
Adding insult to injury, LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, and Terry Rozier are all expected to be out with injury or illness. Without three of your top four players, there really isn’t much any NBA franchise could do.
Miles Bridges just isn’t the type of player who can carry a roster all on his own.
All in all, the Hornets just don’t have the personnel out there to be a winning team right now. Unless they manage to have an outstanding shooting night, the lengthy Toronto defenders should be able to easily walk away with the win.
COUNT IT❗️ pic.twitter.com/DFCqXKZmC9
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 16, 2023
If the Hornets were healthy, it might have been a close matchup, but with the injury list as it is, it’s likely to see the Toronto Raptors cover a spread of 3.5 points.
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Denver Nuggets vs Dallas Mavericks. Prediction and Betting Tip
- Pick: Nuggets -3.5
- Odds: -213 (Tonybet)
The fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets face off against the hurting, third-placed Dallas Mavericks. Kyrie Irving and a litany of other Mavericks players continue to be on the injury list, which leaves just Luka Dončić to deal with the 2023 champs.
Denver should be able to put away the struggling Dallas roster, as, without Kyrie, teams continue to focus almost completely on Dončić. To his credit, though, he has still been managing to score as if the defence hasn’t been there, dropping 30+ points 10 games in a row.
TRIPLE-DOUBLE NO. 61.
Luka has now passed Dirk Nowitzki for the most 35-point games in Mavs history. Built different 🪄@ModeloUSA // #ModeloMilestones #MFFL pic.twitter.com/fjBZ0djWdh
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 17, 2023
Nonetheless, Nikola Jokić is again making a case for an MVP award and should be able to lead his roster to a win as long as he isn’t ejected like last game.
If anything, Jokić will probably bounce back in a big way after his ejection in what should be a high-scoring game. In typical Joker fashion, he’ll likely get the whole team involved, dishing dimes to Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Jamal Murray on top of pulling down over 10 boards.
Throw it up to AG, he’s going to catch it! pic.twitter.com/iAIsfbxYDo
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 17, 2023
The triple-double machine from Serbia can never be underestimated, even if it is against another top European talent in Dončić.
The Mavericks are by no means sitting ducks, though, winning four of their last five contests, with Dončić leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. The one-man show has been able to brute force his way through a ton of teams, but the reigning champs may prove a bit too much.
As long as Denver makes a concerted effort to at least slow down the Slovenian guard, their smart passing and efficient offence should prevail by the fourth quarter.
It should by no means be a stomp because, again, this is Luka Dončić we are talking about, but covering a spread of 3.5 points should be no big deal for Denver. The Nuggets just need to hope clutch-time Luka doesn’t show up.
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Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics. Prediction and Betting Tip
- Pick: Celtics -6.5
- Odds: TBC
Golden State hosts the Boston Celtics in what should be a complete one-sided stomp for the Celtics. The Warriors have been floundering as of late, dropping games left and right, while the Celtics have continued dominating most of the league.
NO NO NO ✋🏽
JT denied the dunk in today’s @JetBlue Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/1MBUE9tCPB
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 17, 2023
Jayson Tatum has finally stepped into his own and has been leading his team to a series of impressive wins over some serious competition. His polished overall skillset leads teams to hyper-focus on him with or without the ball, leaving players like Kristaps Porziņģis and Jaylen Brown free to abuse mismatches all game long.
Boston also hasn’t forgotten about defence by any means, as the addition of Jrue Holiday in the off-season has really taken the defence to the next level.
That is to say, Stephen Curry is going to get smothered by Jrue all night while Kristaps holds it down inside.
But that’s the problem with Golden State these days; the entire offensive load has been shoved onto Curry’s shoulders, leaving them vulnerable. Even when Curry does manage to score 30+ points, it very rarely converts to wins, as the rest of the roster is barely even there.
Draymond Green and Chris Paul have been all but useless this year, while Klay Thomspon averages 16.4 PPG on mediocre efficiency.
We just can’t see Curry carrying this team against the loaded Celtics roster – especially with their atrocious +- scores.
Boston should be able to cover a spread of 6.5 points without much sweat. The first and second quarters may be close, but Boston will likely run away with it by the mid-third quarter.
Disclaimer: Odds are accurate at the time of posting and subject to change. Please verify the latest odds on our platform before betting.
