The struggling Toronto Raptors have a huge opportunity to snap out of their current funk when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night at Spectrum Center.
Toronto has lost four of its last five games, including a 112-103 defeat at home to the shorthanded Miami Heat in its last contest on Wednesday.
Bet on Raptors vs. Hornets
TOR -5.5
CHA +5.5
Luckily for the Raptors, they’ll be squaring off against another struggling opponent on Friday. The Hornets have also dropped four of their last five games and have covered the spread just once in their last six contests.
Let’s take a closer look at this matchup using bet365′s odds.
Raptors vs. Hornets odds
| Raptors Moneyline Odds | -210 |
| Hornets Moneyline Odds | +175 |
| Over/Under | 223.5 points (over -110, under -110) |
| Spread | Raptors -5.5 (-105) |
| Time/Date | Dec. 8, 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: SN1 Stream: NBA League Pass (How to watch the NBA in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
About the Raptors (9-12 SU, 11-10 ATS, 10-11 o/u)
The Raptors had a glorious opportunity to stop the bleeding on Wednesday night, but turnovers (14) and a poor offensive showing allowed the shorthanded Heat to pull off the road victory.
On offence, the Raptors posted a poor 105.1 offensive rating against Miami, which was without defensive stalwart Bam Adebayo due to injury. Toronto’s starters now have a 105.8 offensive rating this season, a figure better than just one team, the 30th-ranked Portland Trail Blazers. Over the past four weeks, the group has scored at a low rate of 100.7 points per 100 possessions in 139 minutes. They also have a net rating flirting around minus-10 per 100 possessions.
Scottie Barnes was dreadful Wednesday, shooting 5-for-17 from the field (29.4%) while posting a minus-25 net rating. He also turned the ball over three times.
One bright spot for the Raptors was the performance of Pascal Siakam, who had been struggling from the field and especially from three-point range heading into the contest. Siakam scored 30 points on 9-of-13 shooting (69.2%) and converted on his only attempt from long range.
About the Hornets (6-13 SU, 7-12 ATS, 12-7 o/u)
Things are trending in the wrong direction for the Hornets again this season.
Earlier this week, Hornets President and Vice Chairman Fred Whitfield announced he is stepping down after 17 years with the organization due to personal health and family reasons.
And on the court, the team can’t seem to stay healthy. Point guard LaMelo Ball has been out since Nov. 26 with an ankle injury but the team is hopeful he’ll be returning in the next or week two. Three other players are listed on the team’s injury report, leaving the Hornets shorthanded coming into this one.
Opponents of the Hornets have outscored them by 161 more points on the year (8.5 per game) and the Raptors had their number last year, taking all four meetings in the season series while scoring over 120 points in each of those contests.
Team Total: Raptors over 114.5 points
-110
Injury concerns
As previously mentioned Ball, who is averaging over 24 points per game this season, is out for the Hornets. Also out are Frank Ntilikina (leg) and Cody Martin (knee). Centre Mark Williams is questionable with a back injury.
Christian Koloko (respiratory illness) remains out for the Raptors.
Betting trends
- Toronto has been the favourite in eight games this season and has come away with the win five times (62.5%) in those contests.
- Charlotte has compiled a 5-11 record in games it was the underdog on the moneyline (winning 31.2% of those games).
- The Raptors have played under the total in four of their last five games.
- The Hornets are 1-5 ATS in their last six games.
Player prop trends
- Hornets forward Gordon Hayward is averaging 22 points per game over his last three contests and is coming off a 27-point performance against the Chicago Bulls. He’s -130 to record over 14.5 points.
- Hornets guard Terry Rozier is also scoring with ease lately, averaging 28.3 points per game over his last three games. He’s -115 to record over 22.5 points.
- Charlotte forward Miles Bridges has drained two or more three-pointers in four straight games and eight of his last 10. He’s a steep -180 to record over 1.5 three-pointers.
Wagers to consider
- Dennis Schroder under 14.5 points: -115. The Raptors point guard has failed to hit this mark in four straight games, averaging 10.2 points per game during that span.
- SGP: Raptors moneyline; Siakam 25+ points; Siakam 7+ rebounds: +350. Siakam absolutely shredded the Hornets last year, averaging 30.3 points per game and nine rebounds in four matchups. Bank on him to follow up with another solid performance after a breakthrough game on Wednesday.
