In the second-most important sporting event of the night in Toronto, the Raptors play their home opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The pregame narrative: With the Blue Jays set to begin the World Series just down the street, the Raptors moved up the tip-off time for Friday’s matchup. The Raps looked great in Atlanta two nights ago and could be in for another high-scoring clash.
Check out my Bucks vs. Raptors SGP predictions for Oct. 24, featuring Scottie Barnes and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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Bucks vs. Raptors predictions
Parlay: Barnes 6+ assists | Giannis 30+ points | Over 228.5 points (+350)
Barnes 6+ assists (+115): Toronto’s roster is built with a fair amount of position-fluid hoopers, and it all centres on Barnes.
The fifth-year player is built like a power forward (6-foot-7, 227 pounds) and is listed as such on the depth chart. But he moonlights as a point guard, too.
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In Toronto’s season opener, Barnes led the team with nine assists. He also led the way in potential assists (13), per NBA.com, which means any pass that leads directly to a shot.
Teammates like Immanuel Quickley, Jamal Shead and RJ Barrett will all contribute their fair share of assists, but this is an attainable total for Barnes.
Since the start of the 2023-24 season, he has averaged 6.0 APG.
And in Barnes’ past five games vs. the Bucks, he’s averaging 6.4 APG with at least five assists in each game.
NBA SGP legs
Giannis 30+ points (-152): One game into his 13th season, it looks like the Greek Freak has still got it.
Against the hapless Washington Wizards, Giannis put up 37 points on 16-of-26 shooting.
Anchored by Jakob Poeltl, Toronto should put up a bit more of a challenge than Washington did. But this is a scoring milestone Giannis is accustomed to hitting.
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- In each of his previous three seasons, Giannis averaged at least 30.4 PPG.
- When Giannis last faced Toronto, on Jan. 17, 2025, he finished with 35 points in 35 minutes.
Toronto faced the Atlanta Hawks in its season opener and allowed their centres (Kristaps Porzingis, Onyeka Okongwu) to combine for 38 points on 13-of-24 shooting.
Over 228.5 points (-177): Toronto and Milwaukee hit this over in two of three matchups last year, including their lone meeting at Scotiabank Arena (a 128-104 win for the Bucks).
Both teams exploded for 130+ points in their respective season openers, and that kind of scoring upside makes this alt total enticing.
Last year, the Bucks and Raptors were both in the top half of the league in pace (i.e., possessions per 48 minutes). If they keep that up, this over is very much in play.
Bucks vs. Raptors predictions made at 1:45 p.m. ET 10/24/2025.
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Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.