The Toronto Raptors recently surpassed the 25% mark of their 2020-21 NBA season, and the betting futures market suggests they are not as good as oddsmakers had thought when they set the odds prior to the start of this season. The Raptors have dealt with some unique circumstances this year including being the only team in the league not playing in their usual home arena. For Toronto to make a move and position itself for a playoff run, it needs to play a whole lot better than it is right now as the Raptors finished the quarter mark of their season.
As of Sunday, Jan. 31, the Raptors stand with a record of 7-12 through 19 games of a condensed 72-game regular season slate. They are in last place among the five-team Atlantic Division and if the playoffs started today, they would be on the outside looking in. Toronto is tied for 12th place in the Eastern Conference, though just 1.5 games behind the Charlotte Hornets, the current No. 8 seed.
One of the biggest moves the Raptors made this offseason was re-signing Fred VanVleet to a new contract, and he has been the team’s leading scorer this season with 19.3 points per game and is averaging 6.5 assists. The NBA trade deadline is less than two months away on March 25, and it’s possible the Raptors could be sellers as they look forward to the future of the franchise.
The Raptors have been playing at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida due to COVID-19. Toronto is 5-5 in its “home” games but just 2-7 on the road so far this season.
Updated Toronto Raptors Futures Odds
After a quarter of the 2020-21 Raptors season, expectations have been reassessed from oddsmakers of what they think this Toronto team can do moving forward. We’ll take a look at some of the updated NBA finals odds along with where they were set prior to the start of the season.
If you want to take a look back at the preseason odds, you can peruse what oddsmakers thought about the NBA season as a whole here or the Raptors’ preseason odds here.
All odds are via a popular United States sportsbook.
NBA Finals Winner
The Raptors were never expected to contend for a run at the NBA Finals, but their start to the season has decreased their odds quite a bit. Currently, Toronto’s odds are set at +6000, which is 14th across the entire NBA.
Preseason odds: Toronto entered the season with+2500 odds, which were the 10th highest odds in the league.
Eastern Conference Winner
Toronto fell one spot since the opening odds prior to the start of the season in the Raptors’ chances to win the Eastern Conference. The Raptors have the seventh best odds to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals at +2500.
Preseason odds: Toronto checked in at No. 6 among Eastern Conference teams, but it had much better odds prior to the start of the season at +1200.
Atlantic Division Winner
The Raptors dropped a significant amount for their chance to win the Atlantic Division. They currently have the fourth best odds at +2200 only ahead of the New York Knicks.
Preseason odds: Prior to the season, Toronto had the third best odds at +320 to come out on top in the division.
What’s next?
Toronto is in the midst of a three-game losing streak and will look to get back on the winning track with a home game against the 8-12 Orlando Magic on Saturday, Jan. 31. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. ET from Amalie Arena.
The Raptors are coming in as 4.5-point favorites with the over/under set at 215. Toronto has -180 odds to win on the moneyline. The two teams have yet to face one another this season but will meet up again on Tuesday night in Orlando’s Amway Center.
