TORONTO RAPTORS VS. ORLANDO MAGIC EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTIONS — January 21, 2025

TORONTO RAPTORS VS. ORLANDO MAGIC EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTIONS — January 21, 2025 — Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Godzilla Wins. One of the games on tap from today’s slate features the Toronto Raptors (10-32 SU, 24-18 ATS) hosting the Orlando Magic (23-21 SU, 23-21 ATS).

Here is a look at which squad has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Tipoff

When: Tuesday, January 21, 2025 @ 7:30 PM ET

Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario

TV: SportsNet and FDSFL

Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic Odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic — Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

The Raptors Are NOT A Good Team This Season

There is no easy way to say it. The Raptors are having a season they’d soon rather forget. After a 7-26 start, the team has gone 3-6 in its last nine outings. This includes a 130-112 defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. RJ Barrett spearheaded a scoring attack in which seven players reached double figures. He scored a team-high 21 points along with 10 assists and four rebounds.

Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk led the bench unit with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Jakob Poeltl added 12 points and 10 boards, while Scottie Barnes contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds. After the opening quarter, Milwaukee held a 15-point advantage (37-22), thanks to shooting 50 percent from the field and converting 12 of 14 attempts from the charity stripe. Trailing by as many as 20 points, Toronto trimmed the deficit to 10 points in the fourth quarter. However, Milwaukee responded with a 23-15 run en route to secure its third straight victory.

Magic Look To Snap Three-Game Slide

Meanwhile, although the Magic have a better record, they limp into this matchup amid a three-game losing streak, including a 113-100 setback against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night. Wendell Carter Jr. scored a team-high 16 points, pulled down 14 rebounds, and handed out five assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tristan da Silva finished with 12 points each while leading scorer Paolo Banchero chipped in with 10 points (4-17 FG, 0-2 3PT), seven rebounds, and five assists.

Orlando kept the game close and trailed 83-77 late in the third. Unfortunately, Denver seized control of the game with a 10-0 run over the final 95 seconds of the quarter, pushing the lead to 16 points, enabling the Nuggets to coast to their sixth victory in their previous seven outings. The Magic, who rank 30th in scoring and 29th in scoring efficiency, shot 36.9 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from beyond the arc. Despite their struggles from an offensive standpoint, Orlando has the second-best defense in the association which should bode well against an opponent that has the second-worst record in the league.

Now that we have set the stage for the Eastern Conference showdown, let’s examine the betting trends for both teams.

Raptors vs. Magic Spread Analysis

Despite their woeful 10-32 record, the Raptors enter this matchup as a slight two-point underdog (per OddsShark.com). Here is a look at how both teams have fared against the spread this season.

• The Raptors are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games.
• Toronto is 3-9 ATS in its previous 12 matchups against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The Raptors have covered the spread once in their last six Tuesday night contests.
• The Magic have an identical 4-9 ATS record in their previous 13 outings.
• Orlando is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings between these franchises.
• In their previous six games against Eastern Conference teams, the Magic are 4-2 against the spread.

Prediction: Orlando Magic (-2)

Raptors vs. Magic Over/Under Prediction

The projected scoring total for this matchup is 215 points (via OddsShark.com). Let’s delve into how these ball clubs have performed against this metric.

• The total has gone UNDER five times in the Raptors’ last seven matchups against Orlando.
• The OVER total is 6-3 in Toronto’s previous nine games against Southeast Division opponents.
• The total has gone UNDER 10 times in the Magic’s last 14 contests.
• In Orlando’s previous 10 contests against Atlantic Division teams, the UNDER total has prevailed eight times.

Prediction: UNDER 215 points

Raptors vs. Magic Player Prop Bet

Fresh off his 21-point, 10-assist effort against Milwaukee, RJ Barrett is the key player to watch for the home team in this contest. He currently has -115 odds of scoring more than 21.5 points and -115 odds of finishing with less than 21.5 points (via DraftKings.com).

Here is a look at how his numbers stack up against the projected points total for this matchup.

• During the season, Barrett is averaging 22.4 points per game.
• In 21 matchups against Eastern Conference opponents, Barrett has averaged 22.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per outing.
• Barrett has suited up in 16 home games this season. In those contests, he averages 26.1 points per contest.
• Across his last five starts, Barrett has put up 17.6 points per game, exceeding the points total for this matchup once during that stretch.

Prediction: RJ Barrett OVER 21.5 points