Caleb Wilfinger

The Toronto Raptors have relied heavily on their starting 5 for their success this season. Going into tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, there are question marks on which starters will be available here. Immanuel Quickley is the only one not to appear on the injury report, with RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl confirmed out and Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram listed as questionable. The 76ers only have Joel Embiid on their injury report so they could have a major advantage depth wise in this contest. They have also been strong on the road this season, with 11 wins from 17 attempts and are currently tied for the fewest road losses in the Eastern Conference.

Over the last 10 games the Raptors have already had issues scoring the ball, ranking 18th in offensive rating. If Quickley will not have the rest of the starters with him, do not expect him to reverse their scoring fortunes. He is not in great form either, scoring 20 or more once in 4 games this month and having not shot over 50% from the field since mid-December. The Raptors are also just 29th in 3-point percentage over the last 10 games, so it is hard to see who will step up and help carry the scoring for them. It should allow a team with the firepower of Tyrese Maxey and Paul George to cover the spread comfortably.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors prediction: 76ers -4.5 available at time of publishing. Playable to 76ers -6.5.

Ever since winning the NBA Cup Final the Knicks have been a different team. They’ve won just once in 6 games, while from a betting perspective they’ve covered just twice in 13 games causing a lot of frustration in the betting community.  Josh Hart’s absence from the line-up is proving to be a real issue, the Knicks would be wise to add a back-up at his position before the trade deadline arrives if possible. On Sunday the Nets are in Portland to take on the red-hot Trail Blazers, a team they’ve owned over the past couple of seasons with 5 wins in a row in head-to-head meetings. However, relying on that would be foolish ahead of this game, New York’s recent form tells us they could struggle yet again here.

What Deni Avdija and his Portland Trail Blazers are doing right now is nothing short of remarkable. They’ve won 5 games in a row, all against Western Conference opponents which has elevated them to 9th in the standings and just 1 win away from the .500 mark. With averages of 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7 assists per game, it’s quite possible we see Avdija in the all-star game this year. Just a couple of nights ago he dropped 41 points on the Houston Rockets, one of the elite defensive teams in the NBA. During the win streak only Boston has a better offensive rating than the Blazers, they’ve been particularly lethal from downtown averaging 16.4 makes per game (3rd highest).

Can we really trust the Knicks with a 8-10 SU and 5-13 ATS record on the road this season? Their 5-game road trip is off to a bad start after the loss to Phoenix, without Josh Hart they might have issues dealing with Avdija on the defensive end here. It sounds weird to say for a team that’s on a 5-game win streak, but I’ll take a gamble on the Trail Blazers in this one.

New York Knicks vs Portland Trail Blazers Predictions: Trail Blazers +4.5 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Denver Nuggets will host the Milwaukee Bucks in a non-conference matchup Sunday night. The Nuggets have a record of 25-13 this season, and they are 10-6 on their home court. Denver has lost three of their last five games, and they are coming off a 110-87 loss against the Atlanta Hawks. Peyton Watson led the team in scoring with 25 points, but the Nuggets could not overcome 19 turnovers. The Bucks have a record of 17-21, and they are 8-12 when playing on the road. Milwaukee has won three of their last four games, including their last win against the Los Angeles Lakers at a score of 105-101. Kevin Porter Jr. led the team in scoring with 22 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had two key stops against LeBron James in the final minute to secure the victory.

The story for both of these teams this season has been injuries to their star players. The Bucks lost Antetokounmpo earlier in the season to injury, and they went 3-11 with him out of the lineup. Now that Antetokounmpo is back and healthy, the Bucks look rejuvenated and are back to playing winning basketball. Now it’s the Nuggets turn to play without their star. Nikola Jokic went down with an injury that will keep him out at least four weeks. The Nuggets are 3-3 without Jokic, but their offensive numbers have dropped significantly without the former MVP. The Nuggets have averaged 109.2 points, 38 rebounds, and shot 45% from the field in their last six games. Those numbers are well below their season average of 123.1 points, 43 rebounds, and 50.5% shooting from the field. The Nuggets were just embarrassed on their home floor by the Hawks, and they are in danger of losing again tonight. 

Bucks -2 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Fighting Illini will make their way to Carver-Hawkeye Arena looking to make it five wins in a row. Illinois is ranked No.16 in the country and has earned that spot coming off a dominant 81-55 win over Rutgers in which they shot 44.1% from the floor. Things didn’t go exactly as planned for No. 19 Iowa in its last outing as the Hawkeyes fell 70-67 to Minnesota while shooting just 39.7%. Iowa has been strong at home this season, going 9-0, but this will be its toughest test yet and will require a strong performance if they want to keep this one close.  

Illinois has just three losses on the season, all coming against top-25 opponents in Alabama, UConn, and Nebraska. The Fighting Illini have a notable size advantage in this matchup and are shooting 47.6% from the floor on the year. Iowa will struggle to get rebounds in this matchup, which should open the door for plenty of second-chance opportunities for the Fighting Illini. Illinois is averaging 45.8 rebounds per game compared to Iowa’s 34.4. However, Iowa has shot the ball extremely well this season, making 51.9% of its shots. At the end of the day, Illinois’ rebounding capabilities and size will likely get Iowa into foul trouble. Look for Illinois to take care of business on the road and pick up the victory as the slight underdog. 

Illinois vs Iowa prediction: Illinois (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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It’s Sunday, which means we turn our attention to the AAC, as North Texas heads north to face Wichita State. Both teams come into the game struggling of late. The Shockers have lost two in a row, first to Charlotte in overtime and then to Rice at home. The Mean Green have lost 2 of their last 3, albeit to South Florida and Memphis. Both need the win to get back to .500 in conference play. I think the Shockers will take it at home, and I am cautiously optimistic with the number at -6.5.

If you are a fan of fast-paced basketball, you will want to look elsewhere. These are two of the slowest teams in the country, both ranking in the bottom 40 in terms of pace. That will make this game a grind, and it puts a high premium on offensive and defensive efficiency. The Shockers are far better on offense, while the Mean Green are the better defensive team. Neither team is very good from beyond the arc, but Wichita State is far better on the glass, especially on the offensive glass. North Texas will need to create a lot of turnovers to win this game, and the Shockers have not committed many turnovers this season. If Wichita takes care of the basketball and rebounds, they should pull away just enough to give us the cover here.

North Texas vs Wichita State Prediction: Wichita St -6.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

UCF will look to avoid another upset as they get ready to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Knights are coming off an 87-76 loss to Oklahoma State in which they shot just 37.5% from the floor. UCF will need a much better performance from Jordan Burks, who went 0-for-11 from the field, with his only 3 points coming from the charity stripe. This UCF team has far more offensive firepower than the Bearcats, but they’ll have their work cut out for them going up against Cincinnati’s defense. 

Cincinnati has lost back-to-back close games, losing to Houston by 7 and West Virginia by 2. Despite those two tough losses, the Bearcats have struggled against tough competition this season, and their most impressive win this year came against Dayton back in November. The Bearcats have four players averaging double digits, with Baba Miller leading the team with 12.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. Miller does have the height advantage over Jamichael Stillwell, but this Bearcats team doesn’t have the depth and talent to compete with UCF. The Knights also have four players averaging double digits this season, and they have a slight rebounding advantage, which will be the difference maker here. Look for UCF to overpower the Bearcats in this matchup on their home court, making them my best bet of the day. 

Cincinnati vs UCF prediction: UCF -3 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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