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The Toronto Raptors will host the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night in a meeting between two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors (21-6, 11-3 home) are playing some great basketball this season with Kawhi Leonard in their team, and in fact they currently have the best record in the entire NBA. The Raptors however are coming after an 105-106 loss in Brooklyn on Friday, which was definitely one of their worst performances of the season. But a bounce back victory over the Bucks on Sunday would erase that defeat from memory.
The Bucks (16-8, 4-5 away) are coming after a 10 point home loss against the Warriors on Friday. While the Bucks are still looking good and sharp, they did slow down a bit after initially owning the best record in the league for the first 10 games or so. Right now the visitors have lost 4 of their last 7 games and their performances on the road have not been very solid.
Bet on Raptors v Bucks and get your 100% (120 Eur) welcome bonus at LSbet now!Team news: The Raptors will miss backup SF Norman Powell (who hasn`t played in a month), while the Bucks have a clean bill of health.
Both these teams are very solid and are having good seasons, but you have to feel that the Raptors are the big favorites coming into this clash, maybe bigger than the odds suggest.
The main advantage of course will be playing at home, as both these teams excel in their own arenas. Toronto has always had a great home court advantage in Canada, while the Bucks this season have been average at best on the road. They might have a 16-8 overall record, but away from home they are just 4-5! That is why many are suggesting (with good reason) that Milwaukee will drop a bit once their schedule gets tougher with more road matches.
With 4 losses in the last 7 matches the Bucks are also not in very good form, while the Raptors are playing great – except for that Friday loss in Brooklyn. That was a terrible performance from Toronto and you would definitely expect them to bounce back, as players like Lowry for example will not go 1/8 from the field for two games in a row.
The two teams met once before this season and the Bucks won by 15 points, but that meeting was in Milwaukee and way back in October. Also, both teams were missing their best players so it was a volatile matchup.
All in all the Raptors should win this. The 5 point handicap is tempting, but personally I will stick with the simple win because it will be a big match with a playoff atmosphere, and I could see how the spread could become tricky if the Bucks have a good game. Also, odds for the straight win are satisfying, so I`m choosing extra safety here.
My tip will be Toronto to win. Whether it will be harder or easier, they should really be able to complete the job at home here. Prediction: Toronto Raptors – Milwaukee Bucks 115 – 107.
Pick: Raptors
Odds: 1.50 @ Unibet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 4
Event date: 9 December
