Raptors vs Heat Preview

The Raptors (15-25) hit the halfway mark in their schedule, followed by a back-to-back game against the Chicago Bulls tomorrow. This is their second meeting with the Miami Heat (24-16). Miami won the first contest – 112-103 on Dec. 6. 

Raptors vs Heat Details

• Date: Jan. 17, 2024
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Location: Scotiabank Arena (Toronto, ON)
• How to watch: TV: Sportsnet; Radio: TSN 1050 Toronto

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Raptors Insights

With their season quickly slipping away, the talk around Raptors’ camp these days has more to do with Pascal Siakam trade rumors than the team’s play. The latest rumour reported by The Athletic has Siakam going to the Indiana Pacers, with draft picks and Bruce Brown Jr. coming back to Toronto. 

The Raptors are coming off a 105-96 loss to the first-place Boston Celtics Monday, a game where their defence showed up, but they couldn’t score – opposite the trend we’ve been seeing since the Dec. 30 trade with the New York Knicks that saw defensive stalwart OG Anunoby go to the Knicks along with C Precious Achiuwa and PG Malachi Quinn for scorers RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. 

Barrett had a game-high 24 points against the Celtics, while Quickley finished with 21. Since joining the Raptors, Quickley has scored 20-or-more points in five of the eight games played so far, averaging 18.9 points, 5.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds in eight games and is shooting 46.9% from three-point range in that span, while making at least one three-point field in every game with Toronto.

On the defensive end, the Raptors have really been missing C Jakob Poeltl, out with an ankle injury. Jontay Porter starts tonight in his spot. The trade deadline is Feb. 8, and you are getting the sense the team just wants to get that over with, so they can once and for all settle on who is going to be around long term. G Scottie Barnes had ten points, 13 rebounds and two assist against Boston.

Heat Insights

Miami sits a solid fifth in the Eastern Conference, winners of three in a row. The Heat became just the third team this season to hold a team to under 100 points three games in a row with their 96-95 win over the Brooklyn Nets. They’ve allowed an average of 110.6 points per game, second in the NBA. PF Kevin Love (knee) has been ruled out for tonight’s game. G Jaime Jaquez (groin) is out as well.

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Player Props

According to PointsBet, Barrett Over 18.5 Points (1.83) and Over 2.5 Assists (1.62) rank among the most popular player props for tonight. 

And at BetRivers, Tyler Herro Under 3.5 Assists is getting 22 per cent of the handle, Jimmy Butler Under 5.5 Rebounds (8%) and Quickley First Field Goal Scorer (6%). On the tickets side, it’s Kyle Lowry Over 5.5 Points (5.6% of bets), Herro Over 2.5 3 PM (5%) and Butler Over 4.5 Rebounds (4.5%).

At BetMGM, Herro Over 23.5 Points (1.80), Butler Over 4.5 Assists (1.72), and Bam Adebayo Over 12.5 Rebounds (1.91) are the most bet player props. At FanDuel it’s Adebayo Under 11.5 Rebounds (2.08) and Butler Under 5.5 Rebounds (1.83).

Raptors vs Heat Betting Odds: Our Picks & Predictions

Here we have the best sports betting odds at Canadian sportsbooks:

• Moneyline 2.05 (Raptors), 1.75 (Heat)
• Spread +2 1.85 (Raptors), -2 1.90 (Heat)
• Over/Under 228 

Take the Raptors ATS. They’ve lost four in a row, but we think they’ll show tonight on home court and make a game of it. It’s going to be a tight one. According to USA Today, Toronto has a 16-9 ATS record and a 14-11 overall record in games it scores more than 110.6 points. The Raptors rank 17^th in the NBA in scoring. Barnes is due for a big game.

Odds as of 11 a.m. EST