The Toronto Raptors battle the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first road game of their young season.
The pregame narrative: Toronto beat an injury-riddled Philadelphia 76ers team last night but is a massive underdog against the Western Conference juggernaut T-Wolves. I’m backing Minnesota to cover an alternate spread alongside props on Donte DiVincenzo and Scottie Barnes.
Check out my Raptors vs. Timberwolves same-game parlay predictions for Oct. 26.
Raptors vs. Timberwolves predictions
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Parlay: Timberwolves -9.5 + DiVincenzo over 2.5 threes + Barnes under 7.5 rebounds (+290)
Timberwolves -9.5 (-220): Don’t let Toronto’s win yesterday fool you, this team is not good.
Philadelphia didn’t have Joel Embiid or Paul George in the lineup and Tyrese Maxey shot an awful 6-for-23 from the floor… and the Raptors still only won by eight.
Two days before that Toronto was blown out by 30 points on its home court by the Cleveland Cavaliers and I expect another rout tonight.
The T-Wolves were one of the best home teams last season, boasting a 30-11 record and a +8.2 net rating (fourth-best in the NBA). They’ve started 1-1 on the road with a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and a close win over the Sacramento Kings.
Back within the friendly confines of Target Center things should come much easier.
Toronto had the worst net rating post-trade deadline last year (-11.3) and is likely without RJ Barrett again tonight.
SGP legs
DiVincenzo over 2.5 threes (+120): DiVincenzo is a pure shooter and I expect him to have a field day against Toronto’s defence.
He hasn’t found his footing with the T-Wolves just yet but is still averaging 7.0 three-point attempts per game. DiVincenzo was a lightning rod for the New York Knicks last year, cashing in 3.5 triples per game at an impressive 40.1% clip.
If the volume is there the shots will begin to fall.
Toronto had the sixth-highest opponent 3-point percentage last year and gave up the fifth-most triples to opposing SGs per game, per Fantasy Pros.
Barnes under 7.5 rebounds (-200): Yesterday, I missed a +320 SGP with Barnes over 7.5 rebounds being the losing leg. I’m taking the other side of that wager tonight but just know it’s not out of spite.
The Timberwolves are a nightmare matchup for Barnes, whose regular line is set at over/under 6.5 and slightly shaded toward the over (-125).
Minnesota was eighth in rebounding rate last year and allowed the 12th fewest boards per game to opposing small forwards. And that was before the squad added Julius Randle, who is a menace on the glass.
Barnes is 0-2 against this line with six and five rebounds in his two games.
Picks made at 1:20 p.m. on 10/26/24.
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.