The Atlanta Hawks host the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.
The pregame narrative: The Raptors travel to Atlanta on a hot stretch. I’m backing the Raptors to keep it close with a slightly teased-up spread. I’m also backing Trae Young while fading Jalen Johnson.
Check out my Raptors vs. Hawks predictions for Jan. 23.
Raptors vs. Hawks predictions
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Best bet: Raptors +5.5 (-130)
Don’t look now, but the Raptors have won three of their last four contests, beating the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors.
Atlanta entered the new year with four straight victories but is 4-6 since then. The Hawks failed to cover the spread in seven of the previous 10 contests.
Despite an 11-32 record, Toronto still holds the sixth-best ATS record (24-18-1).
Zaccharie Risacher, the 2024 first-overall pick will still be sidelined with a thigh injury. Expect Vit Krejci to fill in the starting small forward role — averaging just 5.6 points per game.
Key stat: The Raps are 4-2 ATS in their last six games.
Quick picks
Young over 26.5 points (-129): Young has been a dog over the past six weeks, and I mean that in the best way possible.
In his past 15 games, Young has averaged 26.5 points while shooting over 41% from deep. He’s also added 10.7 assists over that stretch.
The former Oklahoma Sooner torched the Raps the last time they played on Dec. 29. He went 10-of-21 from the field, 7-of-13 from three, and made all seven free-throw attempts for 34 points.
Toronto also allows the fifth-most points per game to opposing point guards (25.69), according to Betting Pros.
Johnson under 21.5 (-124): Johnson is averaging just 14 points in his last three games since missing time with a shoulder injury, shooting below 40.0% in each contest.
I’m surprised his points line is this high considering he hasn’t cleared this mark since Dec. 28 and is averaging 19.3 points on the year.
Toronto allows the seventh-most PPG to small forwards but has held Johnson under this mark in three straight games.
In those contests, he averaged just 14.6 points PPG.
Picks made at 11:45 a.m. ET on 01/23/2025.
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