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Mixed martial arts Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat Best Bet: Raptors Close Out the Series
Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat Best Bet: Tuesday, March 28th
The NBA regular season is winding down with less than 10 games remaining and teams are still fighting to secure playoff spots. Among those are the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat. They have faced each other 3 times this season already, and the Raptors are enjoying a 2-1 lead so far with an opportunity to close out the series at home. This is a very important game for the Raptors given their upcoming schedule and we are leaning toward a win for the home team.
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Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat Preview
Wed, Mar 29th. 00:30 (UK time)
The Toronto Raptors have fallen off since winning the title in the 2018/19 season, but have still made the playoffs in 2 of the 3 seasons since and are fighting to do so once again. They are currently 9th in the Eastern Conference with a 37-38 record having won 5 of their last 10 games. The Raptors are on a 2-game winning streak and coming off a 114-104 home victory against the Washington Wizards. They are finishing off a 4-game homestand tonight against the Miami Heat, before going on the road to face a difficult schedule. 25-14 has been their home record this season, as well as 24-15-1 ATS. They are also 7-1-1 ATS at home over their last 10 games as well as 9-1 in the moneyline.
In terms of stats, the Raptors haven’t exactly been the prime example of a good team, ranking 11th in offensive, 14th in defensive and 13th in net rating this season. However, their play at home has been very respectable, with a net rating of 4.0 and a positive winning record. Their rebounding numbers have been great and they are taking very good care of the basketball, boasting a turnover percentage of 11.9% – the lowest in the league. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet have been in great shape for them recently, and OG Annunoby is coming off a stellar 29-point outing against the Wizards.
It’s been a mixed bag for the Miami Heat this year, but they are trying to secure a playoff position at the moment and are very close to doing so. If they win tonight, they will climb to the 6th position in the conference with a 41-35 record. However, the Miami Heat have not been a good road team this year, winning just 15 of their 36 games and having a 15-20-1 record ATS, ranking them 24th in the league in that regard. The Heat have won 6 of their last 10 but are coming off a 100-129 loss to the Brooklyn Nets – their direct competitors for the 6th seed.
The Heat are one of the worst offensive teams in the league, averaging just 109.1 points per game and this number goes down to 107.7 on the road, ranking them dead last in the league. They are 25th in the league in offensive rating and are only getting 100.2 possessions per game this year. This simply isn’t good enough, and as good as their defence can be, they are severely lacking in spacing and creativity.
Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat Best Bet
These two teams have faced each other 3 times this season. The Heat got the dub in their first game of the season at home by 112-109, but the Raptors moved on to win the next 2 by an average margin of 8 points.
The Raptors tend to play very well at home and are 9-1 over their last 10 games. That’s saying something, whilst the Miami Heat are 3-7 on the road over the same time frame, and also 28th in the league in that regard. The Heat struggle to score, especially on the road and are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. I expect this to be a huge issue tonight, as it has in recent games, and I’m giving the Raptors an edge.
We’ve been having some bad luck with handicaps recently and are in need of a win, so I’m just going to back them to win tonight. This is a very important game for them and they need to win if they want to improve their chances of making the playoffs.
- Selection: Raptors Moneyline
- Best odds: 1.72 (BWin)
- Stakes: 6/10
Odds as of 1:00 pm March 28th, 2023. Odds may now differ.
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