The Toronto Raptors visit the New York Knicks on Wednesday for the second time in a few weeks.
The pregame narrative: The Raptors are struggling right now so I’m taking the Knicks to cover an alternate spread. But I’m adding an RJ Barrett prop to this SGP and fading his teammate Jakob Poeltl.
Check out my Raptors vs. Knicks same-game parlay predictions for Jan. 8.
Raptors vs. Knicks predictions
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Parlay: Knicks -7.5 + Barrett over 19.5 points + Poeltl under 9.5 rebounds (+380)
Knicks -7.5 (-205): When I look at the Raptors’ game log, I see a lot of Ls.
They have one win in their last 13 games. One of those many losses came against the Knicks last month, 139-125 defeat at Madison Square Garden.
New York went 14-2 in December, climbing to third in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks are 1-3 to start the new year and they’ll want to take advantage of this spot before hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
Toronto was once a reliable bet to cover the spread but since that loss to the Knicks, the Raptors are 1-6 ATS and 2-5 against this line.
Good teams have been taking advantage of Toronto’s struggles and I expect New York to walk away with a double-digit win tonight.
SGP legs
Barrett over 19.5 points (-143): This prop pick will provide some negative correlation and boost the odds of the SGP. And it should.
I’m taking the Knicks to win comfortably and expecting Barrett to have a good game. Here’s the reasoning:
- Barrett scored 30 and 23 points, respectively, in two games against his former team this season.
- He has cashed this wager in 18 of 28 games.
In Barrett’s first game playing with Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes, he scored 25 points on an efficient 11-of-18 shooting in a 24-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Someone needs to score points, even in big losses, and the Canadian guard is having a career year, averaging 23.5 per game.
Poeltl under 9.5 rebounds (-127): This ticket is rounded out with a fade on the Toronto big man.
- Poeltl is 6-1 against this line since Dec. 12.
- The Knicks allow the third-fewest rebounds per game to centres (13.3), per Fantasy Pros.
This is well within Poeltl’s capabilities but I have to fade him based on recent performances and a tough matchup.
Picks made at 8:48 a.m. ET 01/08/2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.