-Betting-Odds.jpg)
After myriad trade rumors involving Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose, the New York Knicks didn’t unload either of their stars at the deadline. It was actually their opponent for next week’s game, the Toronto Raptors, who made a minor move.
The Raptors added P.J. Tucker to the fold in order to strengthen the roster for a playoff run. He could be important in slowing down Anthony in this one. The Raptors are hoping to make a push for a top seed in the East while the Knicks are aiming to simply make the playoffs, so this will be a critical game for both sides.
Even though they are on the road, the Raptors should be the favorites as they have the more talented roster.
This war on the floor will go down Monday, February 27, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Monday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Raptors are 33-24 straight up and 31-25-1 against the spread. Toronto has played in 28 road games on the season and covered in 16 of them. They are 22-20 against the spread as the favorite on the year.
The Knicks are 23-34 straight up and 30-27 against the spread. They have been pretty good covering at home, doing so in 16 of 29 attempts. The Knicks are 19-18 against the spread as the underdog on the year.
Last Meeting
The Raptors have won both previous meetings against the Knicks this season and will look to make it three in a row on Monday. Toronto defeated New York 118-107 during the first matchup on November 12th and also captured a 116-101 win over the team on January 15th.
In the latest matchup last month in Toronto, things stayed tight for a quarter before the Raptors exploded in the second quarter, putting up 42 points to lead 69-54. The Knicks came out flat in the second half, scoring just eight points in the third quarter in the loss.
Despite being outrebounded by the Knicks in the matchup, Toronto shot 49.4 percent from the field in the victory. DeMar DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll and Patrick Patterson all had 20 points or more in the victory for the Raptors.
Player to Watch
DeRozan -- The Raptors shooting guard finished as the high scorer in both earlier-season matchups against the Knicks. He had 33 points in his team’s first win against New York back in November and scored 23 points in the most recent matchup last month.
DeRozan leads the team with 27.3 points per game this year. After missing seven games in lat January and early February due to injury, he returned on February 6th and scored 31 against the Los Angeles Clippers followed by a 30-point performance against the Timberwolves on February 8th.
The seventh-year-player has been a little up-and-down since then, however, finishing with a season-low 10 points against Charlotte on February 15th. He’s played will against the Knicks so far this season, however, and will look to return to star form in this one.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Raptors have been one of the better teams in the East over the past few seasons and are aiming to end the season strong to become the chief contender to Cleveland’s throne. This is the type of game it must win against a reeling Knicks team.
New York was ready to trade off its high-priced veterans but couldn’t find any takers. Keeping Anthony and Rose gives them a better chance of winning this game, but overall the Knicks are not as strong of a team as Toronto.
This one should be close since New York has the benefit of the home court advantage, but expect the Raptors to make it three straight this season.
NBA Odds: Raptors 109, Knicks 105
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
