Wizards vs Raptors Picks and Predictions: Back the Raps in TO

The Washington Wizards head north of the border to take on the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. Oddsmakers are expecting a close game between these Eastern Conference foes with NBA betting lines opening with the Raptors as slim 1-point home favorites.

Here are our best free NBA betting picks for Wizards vs. Raptors for December 5, with tipoff at 6 p.m. ET. 

Wizards vs Raptors odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

The Raptors opened as 1-point favorites with the Over/Under at 210.5. Early money has come in on the Over, moving the total to 212. These teams faced off in early November with the Raptors winning 109-100 as 3.5-point road underdogs with the O/U at 212. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Wizards vs Raptors predictions

• Prediction: Raptors -1 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 212 (-110)
• Best bet: Wizards team total Under 105.5 (-110)

Predictions made on 12/5/2021 at 12:05 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Wizards vs Raptors game info

• Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
• Date: Sunday, December 5, 2021
• Tip-off: 6:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet, NBC Sports Washington

Wizards vs Raptors betting preview

Injuries

Wizards: Rui Hachimura PF (Out), Thomas Bryant C (Out).
Raptors: Khem Birch C (Out), Goran Dragic PG (Out), OG Anunoby SF (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Under is 14-6 in the Wizards last 20 games following a straight-up loss of more than 10 points. Find more NBA betting trends for Wizards vs. Raptors.

Wizards vs Raptors picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

Washington is coming off a 116-101 loss to the Cavs and is 4-6 SU (3-7 ATS) in its last 10 games. The Wizards are still 14-9 SU on the year and it looks like trading away All-Star guard Russell Westbrook in the offseason may have actually been addition by subtraction. 

Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the Wizards last season but they were dead-last in the NBA in scoring defense and didn't play like a cohesive unit on the offensive end of the floor. This season the Wiz are moving the ball well (ranking 12th in NBA in assists per possession) and are 12th in the league in defensive rating. 

It's been a rough season for the Raptors who currently sit three games below .500. They are fresh off a 97-93 win over the Bucks but Milwaukee was missing two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in that contest and the Raps are still just 4-10 SU and ATS in their last 14 games. 

The Raps have had some bright spots, namely the play of rookie Scottie Barnes and Fred VanVleet who has grown into his role as Toronto's lead guard by averaging 21.8 points per game on 46/42/92 shooting since the start of November. All-Star forward Pascal Siakam returning to full strength after offseason shoulder surgery has been a boost but has been offset by the loss of OG Anunoby who has been out with a hip injury. 

Despite the Wizards boasting a better record, their net rating of minus-0.2 is only marginally better than the Toronto's net rating of minus-0.8, and the Raps cruised to a 9-point victory in Washington when these teams met up earlier this year.

Toronto is second in the league in opponent turnovers per possession while ranking eighth in offensive turnovers per possession. Meanwhile, the Wiz rank dead-last in opponent turnovers per possession and are 16th in turnovers per possession. The Raps also do a better job of getting easy buckets in transition, ranking third in the league in fastbreak ppg (15.7) while the Wizards rank 28th (8.9 ppg). In what is expected to be a close game, those should be the deciding factors. 

Prediction: Raptors -1 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

We mentioned how much better the Wizards have been defensively this season and they currently rank 12th in the league in scoring defense by holding foes to 106.2 ppg, more than 12 ppg fewer than last season. That said, they've also taken a big step back on offense where they average 106 ppg.

The Raps have also been less than impressive on the offensive end of the floor, averaging 104.9 ppg and that number dropping to just 95.5 ppg over their last four games. 

Both of these teams also play at a slow tempo and don't hit many threes. The Raps are 28th in the NBA in pace and rank 24th in three-pointers per game (11.3), while the Wiz are 23rd in pace and 29th in threes (10.3). Back the Under.

Prediction: Under 212 (-110)

Best bet

The Wizards have a dynamic scorer in Bradley Beal but after leading the NBA with 31.3 ppg last season, he's seen that number plummet to 22.3 ppg and his effective field goal percentage of 47.1 is the worst of his career. 

With Beal struggling with his efficiency, Washington hasn't been filling up the hoop, averaging just 102.5 ppg over their last 14 games.

The Wizards team total has been set at 105.5 for today, a number they have surpassed just twice during that 14 game span. The Raptors have been playing better defense lately and with the plodding pace they prefer to play at they should be able to keep Washington below that number. 

Pick: Wizards team total Under 105.5 (-110)

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