Raptors vs Magic 2019 NBA Playoffs Odds & Predictions for Game 3.

Raptors vs Magic 2019 NBA Playoffs Odds & Predictions for Game 3

Written by on April 19, 2019

The Orlando Magic had one of their best home regular seasons in years, and on Friday night they host their first playoff game since 2012. However, the Magic are underdogs on the NBA Betting line in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series vs. the Toronto Raptors.

How to Bet Raptors vs Magic 2019 NBA Playoffs Odds & Game 3 Info

Why Bet on Toronto?

After losing Game 1 by 3, the Raptors rolled in Game 2 past the Magic 111-82, the biggest margin of victory in franchise playoff history. Orlando didn’t score for almost five minutes to start the game, missing its first six shots and four straight free throws. The drought ended when Aaron Gordon rebounded and scored on Nik Vucevic’s miss from the line at 7:14 of the first, answering an 11-0 Toronto run. The Raptors led 26-18 after one and never really looked back. “Their defense set the tone for the game in the first quarter,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said.

The previous record for playoff margin of victory was a 116-89 (+27) win May 15, 2016, in Game 7 vs. Miami. Toronto led Game 2 vs. Orlando wire-to-wire, marking the team’s fourth playoff victory without trailing – May 11, 2016, vs. Miami (99-91); May 18, 2001, vs. Philadelphia (101-89) and May 1, 2007 vs. New Jersey (98-96).

Kawhi Leonard led the win, racking up 37 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and four triples in 33 minutes. Coach Nick Nurse let him play through some foul trouble in the first half and the move paid off as the Raptors were in cruise control for the entire evening. Leonard continued his hot shooting in this one, hitting 15-of-22 from the field after going 10-of-18 in Game 1. Leonard’s career playoff high is 43, set with San Antonio against Memphis on April 22, 2017. He made 14 baskets in that game.

Kyle Lowry bounced back in style during Tuesday’s Game 2 win, scoring 22 points with seven assists, four rebounds, two steals, one block and two triples in 38 minutes. His zero-point effort in Game 1 was heavily criticized, but his teammates, coaches, and fans all had his back — coach Nick Nurse was also quick to point out that Lowry was still a +11 in that game. It marked the 20th time Lowry has recorded a 20-point game in the playoffs – second most in franchise history, trailing only DeMar DeRozan’s 31 games with 20+ points.

Toronto is 4-5 (.444) on the road in the first round of the playoffs since 2016, tied with Golden State and Utah for the most opening-round road wins among active playoff teams. The Raptors are 3-7 overall during the third game of a first-round series.

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 114.24
  • Field Goal Percentage: 47.36
  • Three-Point Percentage: 36.54
  • Free Throw Percentage: 80.37
  • Total Rebounds: 45.12

Defense

  • Total Score: 107.99
  • Field Goal Percentage: 44.75
  • Three-Point Percentage: 34.50
  • Free Throw Percentage: 76.35
  • Total Rebounds: 44.89

Why Bet on Orlando?

Aaron Gordon scored a team-high 20 points in a blowout loss to the Raptors in Game 2, adding five rebounds, two assists, one block, and three triples. Despite Gordon’s big line, he was a -27 in his 33 minutes and the Raptors had this game wrapped up by the end of the third quarter.

Nikola Vucevic had another rough outing in Game 2, scoring just six points on 3-of-7 shots. The form we saw from Vucevic in the regular season hasn’t shown up yet, as he was just as bad in Game 1 with a 3-of-14 effort. The rest of his stat line wasn’t much better in this one, as Vucevic added six rebounds with three assists, one block, and four turnovers. Toronto has done a tremendous job keeping Vucevic as far from the basket as possible and continue to swarm him in the post.

Raptors vs Magic Game 3 is going to be a close one.

`A lot of the turnovers that we had were just careless and we didn’t play well enough on either end,’’ said Vucevic, who is now averaging 8.5 points and shooting 28.6 percent (six of 21) in the series – well below the team-best 20.7 points and 51.8 percent he posted during the first all-star season of his career. “The turnovers hurt us and that’s something that we talked about and we started the game with two turnovers. We just have to be better.’’

Game 1 hero D.J. Augustin, who had 25 points and the game-winner three days earlier, struggled to get much space for open looks and scored just nine points on one-of-six shooting. Evan Fournier (10 points on four-of-12 shooting) and Jonathan Isaac (five points on one-of-eight shooting) also weren’t very effective against Toronto’s swarming defense.

Orlando has lost 10 of the last 13 meetings at home (including one in London) in this series. However, the Magic did win the last meeting there on Dec. 28, 116-87. Vucevic tallied 30 points, 20 rebounds, and eight assists. Augustin scored 17 points for the Magic, while Jonathan Isaac and Terrence Ross each added 14 points. Orlando held Toronto to just 29.5 percent shooting from the floor and outrebounded the Raptors, 60-41.

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 106.98
  • Field Goal Percentage: 45.23
  • Three-Point Percentage: 35.61
  • Free Throw Percentage: 77.95
  • Total Rebounds: 45.44

Defense

  • Total Score: 106.60
  • Field Goal Percentage: 45.60
  • Three-Point Percentage: 34.59
  • Free Throw Percentage: 77.86
  • Total Rebounds: 44.65

Raptors vs Magic 2019 NBA Playoffs Betting Trends

  • Under is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings in Orlando
  • Underdog is 5-1-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings
  • Toronto is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
  • Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto’s last 6 games
  • Orlando is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home
  • Orlando is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
  • The total has gone OVER in 7 of Orlando’s last 9 games

Expert Final Score Prediction for Raptors vs Magic

Toronto Raptors 107 – Orlando Magic 104