The Toronto Raptors play their last home game of the regular season this Sunday against the lottery draft-bound Orlando Magic looking to sweep Frank Vogel’s squad this 2017-18 NBA campaign. Will the Raptors do just that? Or will the Magic pull off a surprise win (and third in a row this week) out of their hat?
Like most teams that are out of contention, the Magic would better serve themselves if they just lose out the season for a higher percentage of winning the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Jonathon Simmons and Evan Fournier are unlikely to play anymore this season because of “injuries” and Nikola Vucevic could also be rested this Sunday by Orlando, so Magic bettors should expect their money to be pinned on the performances of the likes of Mario Hezonja, Bismack Biyombo, and Shelvin Mack. Mack, however, played well the last time Orlando met Toronto. Mack scored 17 points and dished out four assists in 24 minutes off the bench in a Mar. 20 93-86 home loss to the Raptors. The Magic also still have Aaron Gordon, who had 16 points and six rebounds in that game.
Orlando is 3-2 ATS in its last five trips north of the border.
While their success feels uneasy, Toronto is very likely going to be the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference once the regular season concludes. The Raptors have been reaping success this season because of their balanced game on both ends of the floor. They are third in the league in scoring with 112.0 points per game on 47.2 percent shooting from the field and ninth defensively with just 104.2 points per game. They’ve been better than those numbers when up against Orlando this season, though. In two meetings with the Magic, Toronto has averaged 105.0 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor. The Raps also have limited Orlando to only 95.0 points per game. The backcourt tandem of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, provided they won’t get rested in this game, should have a field day scoring on Sunday. Lowry and DeRozan are averaging 21.0 points each against the Magic this season.
Toronto is 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in its last 10 home games against the Magic.
