Knicks vs Raptors Online Betting Odds
The New York Knicks will continue their chase for the playoffs on Friday by making a trip north of the border, where they will take on the Toronto Raptors, who themselves are jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference standings. [ad-4468020]
New York Knicks (33-45) at Toronto Raptors (46-32)
Date: Friday, April 11, 2014
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Air Canada Centre
City: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
O/U Odds: 192
Spread: Toronto -5.5
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The Knicks have climbed back into the playoff picture with a 12-5 run, while the Raptors are looking to hold off the Bulls and Nets and have won four games in a row and seven of eight.
The Raptors are primed to win the Atlantic Division, which, prior to the season, many pundits had predicted would go to the Knicks. Now its the Raptors who sit comfortably atop the division with less than a week to play in the regular season, while the Knicks are desperate just to get into the playoffs.
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The Knicks come to town with Carmelo Anthony at less than 100 percent, as the team looks to avoid its third consecutive loss. The team’s eight-game winning streak is but a distant memory with losses in five of its last nine games.
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The Knicks are two games back of the Hawks for the final playoff spot in the East, and will be plenty rested for this contest, having been off for four days leading into it. No one needs the rest more than star forward Carmelo Anthony. In back-to-back losses, Anthony compiled just 23 points on 29.0 percent shooting while suffering from the effects of a sore right shoulder.
As for the Raptors, they’re now looking to match a franchise-record with 47 wins in the season. The team’s magic number for clinching the Atlantic Division is down to one, meaning there is plenty the team would like to celebrate on its home court on Friday, rather than accomplishing those feats in Detroit on Sunday.
Jonas Valanciunas had a career-high 26 points and added 12 rebounds in Toronto’s win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, his first game since being arrested for drunk driving on Monday. Kyle Lowry returned for that game after missing three contests with a bruised kneecap, and racked up 29 points and eight assists. In his last game against New York, he flirted with a triple-double, posting 32 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds.
Both teams need this one, the Raptors so as to hold off the Bulls and Nets and avoid a more difficult first-round matchup, while the Knicks need it just to set up a first-round matchup. The Knicks will be squeezing the ball a little tighter as all the pressure is on them, and the Raptors should put forth a strong effort after coming away unhappy with their play at the defensive end in their last game against the 76ers.
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The Knicks are 1-4 ATS in their last five trips to Toronto, while the Raptors are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings between these teams.
The play: Toronto -5.5
