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We start the latest week of the NBA with nine games on the schedule for us to wager on. Today, I will be handicapping the Sacramento Kings vs. the Toronto Raptors, and the Washington Wizards vs. the Denver Nuggets. All odds courtesy of PointsBet.
Sacramento Kings vs. Toronto Raptors (-4.5) Total 221
Both the Kings and Raptors have disappointed to start the season: Sacramento already changed their head coach and the Raptors are dealing with the reality that they may not be contenders in the Eastern Conference this season. Toronto is currently the 11th seed in the East while the Kings are 10th in the West.
Sacramento will play their third-straight road game tonight when they face Toronto. The Kings are 6-8 on the Money Line and 7-7 ATS on the road. Do not be fooled by that road ATS record; the Kings won their first three road games of the season against the spread. Since then, the Kings have gone 4-7 ATS on the road. They have lost three of their last four road games against the spread and straight up.
The Raptors got off to a decent start this season. They were 6-4 on the Money Line in their first 10 games. Toronto then went on to lose 10 of their next 16 games though the Raptors have played better as of late. They have won three of their last four games, all at home, with victories against the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Wizards.
The Raptors opened up tonight’s game as 4.5-point favorites. That number briefly hit five before ticking back down to 4.5. Toronto is not a team I really trust at home, but they have played better as of late and the Kings have ATS losses in three of their last four road games.
Edge: Raptors -4.5
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Washington Wizards vs. Denver Nuggets (-4 ) Total: 215.5
I’m old enough to remember when the Washington Wizards had the best record in the Eastern Conference. Since then, the Wizards are 5-9 on the Money Line and 3-11 ATS. Life comes at you fast. The Wizards are currently on a five-game ATS losing streak. Their latest loss was a 25-point beat down at the hands of the Utah Jazz. As such, the Wizards are now 4-11 ATS on the season. That said, tonight they start a six-game road trip in Denver so this might be a good time to start the Wizards.
This should be an interesting season for the Nuggets. The season ending injury to Michael Porter Jr. has tempered their expectations while the return of Jamaal Murray later this season could give them a boost. As for right now, they still have the league’s reigning MVP. With that being said, they have been an up-and-down team this season.
The Nuggets opened up tonight’s game as 3.5-point favorites. PointsBet is reporting Over 60% of the tickets and the handle backing the Nuggets. Keep in mind, Denver is only 4-6 ATS as favorites this season. The spread on this game got as high as Denver -5 before buy back on the Wizards pushed the number back down to -4.
Also to note, Washington has struggled with COVID protocols and Kyle Kuzma is expected to miss tonight’s game. The Nuggets are 5-2 on the Money Line as home favorites this season. On the flip side, the Wizards are 3-6 ATS and on the Money Line as road Underdogs this season. My job is to provide a side or a Total to wager on. The best bet for tonight may be to Money Line parlay the Raptors and the Nuggets -- there’s no reason to be a hero.
Edge: Nuggets -4
