The pain will be over soon. The Toronto Raptors have just 10 games left to play in the 2024-25 NBA regular season, one that will go down in infamy – or be quickly forgotten, depending on what happens after the tanking stops. This year’s team will almost certainly miss the Eastern Conference play-in; they’re also very likely to enter the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery at somewhere between No. 5 and No. 7.
It’ll probably be the latter. Monday’s 112-104 win over the last-place Washington Wizards as 2.5-point road dogs left Toronto seventh in the Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes at 25-47 (43-28-1 ATS), two games behind the 23-49 Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets as we go to press. Good luck out-tanking those guys.
They’re going to try, though. The Raptors can improve their chances of landing a top 4 pick in the lottery from roughly 30% to 40% by moving up from seventh to fifth. This would also boost their chances of landing the No. 1 pick from about 7.5% to 10%. That’s way too much equity to pass up when Flagg projects as the next Larry Bird.
But let’s say for now the Raptors end up with the seventh pick when the lottery is held May 12 in Chicago. They might be able to snag a high-ceiling prospect like Texas shooting guard Tre Johnson or Duke swingman Kon Knueppel. Alternately, the Raps might prefer a high-floor guy like Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis. Any of these guys could play a significant role on a future championship team.
So we wait, and we tank. Toronto’s star players will continue to shuffle in and out of the rotation. On Monday, it was Team Canada’s own RJ Barrett who was DNPed while rookie Jamison Battle got the start. Gradey Dick (knee) is still out, Chris Boucher (wisdom teeth) is glued to the end of the bench, and Brandon Ingram (ankle) will reportedly be re-evaluated in early April.
This intentional self-harm hasn’t stopped the Raptors from cashing in. They’re 9-3 ATS in the month of March, and they’ve got three more winnable games coming up in this week’s NBA betting preview here at Bodog Sportsbook – Canada’s No. 1 overall pick for the best in sports betting.
5. Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder (Thursday, Mar. 27)
Our weekly top 5 tips off with former Pacific Northwest rivals, both plucked from their homes and dropped off in Tornado Alley like unwanted stepchildren. The Thunder (59-12 SU, 46-21-4 ATS) are first in the league standings and at the betting window; the Grizzlies (43-28 SU, 37-33-1 ATS) have fallen to fifth in the Western Conference after dropping three straight SU and ATS.
Injuries tell the tale for Memphis. Vancouver’s own Brandon Clarke (knee) is out for the season, and Ja Morant (hamstring) hasn’t played since March 14 – although the Grizzlies do have Toronto native and two-time Wooden Award winner Zach Edey back in the lineup. Seems like a good spot for Thunder god Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s leading scorer at 32.8 points per game and the future Greatest Canadian of All-Time, to hit the Over on his NBA player props.
4. Sacramento Kings at Orlando Magic (Saturday, Mar. 29)
This is our chance to catch up with Toronto-area products Cory Joseph and Caleb Houstan, who have both seen their minutes rise as the Magic (34-38 SU, 34-37-1 ATS) deal with multiple injuries. We also get to see DeMar DeRozan, Joseph’s former teammate with the Raptors, and another Canadian talent in Saskatoon native Trey Lyles – although Lyles won’t get much burn now that the Kings (35-36 SU, 28-40-3 ATS) have Domantas Sabonis back at centre.
Even better, this is a 5 PM ET start in Orlando, so the players involved are going to be thrown off their usual routines. These are normally good spots to put the Under in your NBA picks; the Magic (Under 42-30) have played strong defence this year, although the Over is 7-3 in their last 10, so temper your bet size accordingly.
3. Charlotte Hornets at Toronto Raptors (Friday, Mar. 28)
Toronto’s cottony-soft schedule continues Friday with the Hornets (18-53 SU, 35-34-2 ATS), who are third from the bottom of the league standings after yet another lost season in the Carolinas. This isn’t the same team that beat the Raptors (+6.5 away) 138-133 back on October 30; LaMelo Ball is still there, but Nick Richards and Cody Martin were shipped to Phoenix, and both Tre Mann (back) and Grant Williams (knee) are out for the year.
For that matter, it won’t be the same Raptors team this Friday. It remains to be seen who suits up, but Toronto’s strong rookie class is a big reason why they’ve been so successful ATS this year – and they’ve at least gotten competent defence out of fill-ins Jared Rhoden, Orlando Robinson and Colin Castleton. This could easily be another game Toronto fails to lose.
2. Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers (Sunday, Mar. 30)
Sunday’s game will be even harder to tank. The Sixers (23-49 SU, 26-46 ATS) lose their first-round pick to Oklahoma City if it falls out of the top 6, so they’ve shut down Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (groin), and gone even deeper into their bench than Toronto. The Raps “won” this battle 118-105 back on March 12 as 2.5-point home favourites. Expect more of the same in the rematch.
1. Toronto Raptors at Chicago Bulls (Tuesday, Apr. 1)
Dang those Bulls (32-40 SU, 38-33-1 ATS) for cementing Toronto’s tank plans by making that 4-point play to force overtime and eventually take their February 28 meeting 125-115 as 1-point home favourites. There’s no turning back for either team now; the Bulls have embraced their play-in fate, winning eight of their last 10 at 9-1 ATS. Don’t be an April Fool – wait for the morning shoot-around to see who might be active for both teams, then hit the NBA lines at Bodog Sportsbook for maximum value (including the very best bonus packages in Canada and across the Americas), and come back next week for more Toronto Raptors betting tips and analysis.