The Toronto Raptors hit the road without Scottie Barnes to play the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.
The pregame narrative: Barnes left Monday’s contest against the Denver Nuggets with an eye injury and is out but I still like Toronto to cover as road underdogs. Prop bets on LaMelo Ball and Ochai Agbaji round out this +320 SGP.
Check out my Raptors vs. Hornets same-game parlay predictions for Oct. 30.
Raptors vs. Hornets predictions
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Parlay: Raptors +6.5 + Ball over 24.5 points + Agbaji over 9.5 points (+320)
Raptors +6.5 (-113): Barnes is Toronto’s best player but let’s not forget who the Raptors are dealing with here.
The Hornets went 21-61 last season and 27-55 the year before that. They’ve only been home favourites 14 times in that span but are 4-10 ATS in those games, according to Team Rankings.
Toronto might feel like a sideshow at times but Charlotte is a legitimate circus.
Brandon Miller and Mark Williams are out, representing two notable losses for the home team.
The Hornets are 1-2 on the season and 0-3 against this line. Don’t expect them to blow out the Raptors today.
SGP legs
Ball over 24.5 points (-230): No matter what happens, Ball is going to get his shots up.
The fifth-year guard has averaged 19.7 field goal attempts over the last two seasons and is at 20.7 through three games this year (while averaging 31.7 points and going 3-0 against this line).
Ball loves to let it fly from deep (he’s averaging 12.0 3PA per game), which is a boon for any over bettor.
The Raptors had the sixth-highest opponent 3-point percentage last year (39.7) and currently have the fifth-highest through the first week of the season (39.7).
Agbaji over 10.5 points (-162): Agbaji could be a nice reclamation project for Darko Rajakovic and the Raptors.
The Kansas product won the 2022 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and was drafted 14th overall by the Utah Jazz that year.
He wasn’t a game-changer in Salt Lake City but has been on a solid run for Toronto in his third year as a pro.
Agbaji is averaging 12.3 points on 58.8% shooting, clearing this line in three straight games.
He put up 19 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday and 15 against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, attempting 12 field goals in each contest.
Those are two respectable teams — Charlotte is not. Agbaji has earned more playing time and I like his chances of having another solid game.
Picks made at 10:03 a.m. on 10/30/24.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.