SportsLine's model just revealed its NBA picks for Portland Trail Blazers vs. Toronto Raptors.
Trail Blazers 10,000 times and the results are in. [Damian Lillard](/nba/players/1992810/damian-lillard/) finished with 19 points, eight assists and two rebounds against the Pacers. [Indiana Pacers](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/IND/indiana-pacers/) this past Friday, falling 108-99. The losing side was boosted by small forward [Josh Hart](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/players/playerpage/2105193), who almost posted a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. [New York Knicks](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/NY/new-york-knicks/) this past Friday. Trail Blazers](https://www.sportsline.com/nba/game-forecast/NBA_20230108_POR@TOR/). Raptors picks, you'll want to [see the NBA predictions from the proven computer model at SportsLine](https://www.sportsline.com/insiders/raptors-vs-trail-blazers-odds-line-spread-proven-model-reveals-nba-picks-predictions-for-jan-8-2023/#ttag=01082023_agg_cbssports_picks_basketball_nba_model_raptorsblazersnbaauto). Here are several [NBA betting lines](https://www.sportsline.com/nba/odds) for Raptors vs. [Toronto Raptors](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/TOR/toronto-raptors/) will take on the [Portland Trail Blazers](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/POR/portland-trail-blazers/) at 3:30 p.m. You can [head to SportsLine to see its picks](https://www.sportsline.com/insiders/raptors-vs-trail-blazers-odds-line-spread-proven-model-reveals-nba-picks-predictions-for-jan-8-2023/#ttag=01082023_agg_cbssports_picks_basketball_nba_model_raptorsblazersnbaauto). The model enters Week 12 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 38-13 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning almost $2,300. The Raptors are 16-23 overall and 11-10 at home, while Portland is 19-19 overall and 10-13 on the road.
Portland will try to salvage a win on the last game of the road trip with a victory over the struggling Raptors.
The Raptors lead the league in committing the fewest of them. They need VanVleet on the floor as much as possible to stay competitive, but the more he plays, the more he breaks down. The more he breaks down, the worse he plays. He’ll have five games and a handful of practices to prove that he warrants another look. The raw number of them has been too high, but the bigger issue has been the timing of them. The Raptors are in a pretty bad spot of their own. Why is Toronto sitting in twelfth place in the West, currently out of the playoff picture? Regardless, the Blazers are likely to see a lot of him on the court as the Raptors don’t have a solid backup point guard. The Raptors are 28th in the NBA in field goal percentage at 44.7%, and dead last from deep at 32.4%. If the Blazers can make shots like they are capable of and cut down on the turnovers they should have a very good shot against the Toronto Raptors this afternoon. They can’t hit the broad side of a barn, especially from deep. Winners of only three of the last 13, the Raptors might need a win even more than the Blazers.
NBA odds, picks, and predictions for the Portland Trail Blazers at Toronto Raptors on January 8. NBA betting best bet and free pick analysis.
The Raptors are 10-11 ATS at home this season and have failed to cover in five of their last six outings overall. Portland is one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the NBA inside the Moda Center (40%) but watches that success rate slip to 36.4% in foreign gyms, with the team making three fewer triples per game. The Raptors' pace, offensive limitations, and sound defense keep totals on the low end, with most games closing with a sub-220 number. However, the Blazers are expected to get two-way guard The Raptors enter this afternoon affair trying to solve their offensive woes, having shot a league-low 39.3% from the floor during their three-game losing skid. He’s more active as a shooter in home games overall (17.4 shots per) and should he breach 20-plus attempts again Sunday, should he continue to log those minutes. Given this modest player prop on points, we’re not asking for that much as he fights to right the ship Sunday afternoon. They’ve also struggled to contain rival guards, allowing an average of 67.6 points to the position — seventh most in the league. Portland opened this three-game road set with losses at Minnesota and Indiana and has just three wins in its last 10 overall, going back to the middle of December. This matchup with Portland could be what Toronto needs to get right, given the He’s also been extremely active as a shooter, with a combined 44 field goal attempts in those contests — including 23 attempts from beyond the arc. But with the team tumbling, head coach Nick Nurse has no choice but to lean into his limited stars.
Analyzing Sunday's Portland Trail Blazers at Toronto Raptors odds and lines, with NBA expert picks, predictions and best bets.
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We go over some of the best betting options for Sunday's matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and Toronto Raptors.
Both teams have shown the ability to defend at a high level, so the under is the safer play this afternoon. That’s often the difference when teams who are this close on paper match up, so take the Blazers to cover here. The Raptors have dropped three in a row themselves, so one team’s losing run will end.
The Raptors and Blazers are 6-14 combined in their last 20 games. Combine that with an early start, and this one could be a slog!
They lost to the We’ve all seen it before: teams come out listless and disorganized in these afternoon games, sometimes because they’ve been partying the night before, but more often just because it’s a change in routine that messes up the players’ rhythm. If there’s any saving grace for the Raps and their fans, it’s that there’s a real chance for a win here today.
“His skill level is unmatched, it really is,” said Portland head coach Chauncey Billups before the game of Sharpe, who is averaging 7.8 points a game on 47.4 ...
One adjustment was to have the second unit play zone, as a means to simplify their defensive responsibilities. The Raptors bench will have to be part of that and that was another positive Sunday. Siakam was 8-of-32 over his past two games but was 6-of-9 from the floor in the first quarter for 13 points as Toronto jumped out to a 34-27 lead. By the time the rest of the Raptors' regulars checked back in Toronto had pushed their lead to 19 points. Portland made them pay with a pair of open threes after Toronto scrambled to help an over-matched Barnes who was given the task of dealing with the 6-foot-11 centre. Barnes showed he was ready to do just that early as he stepped into a foul line jumper and then a triple on his way to an eight-point first quarter, his best since Dec. If anything he was trying to use his arm to try and avoid hitting his head on the board. Barnes had scored just a single point in quarters one through three against both Milwaukee and New York, and getting him engaged earlier was a priority, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said before the game. He was called for a technical foul for appearing to use his other arm to elevate himself on the play which didn’t seem right. [Fred VanVleet](/basketball/nba/players/fred-vanvleet/707832) – perhaps one of the most respected players in franchise history – has been under the gun for a prolonged shooting slump and had to deal with reports that he had turned down a four-year $114 million contract extension before the season. His consecutive threes midway through the fourth quarter were a timely roadblock in front of a brewing Portland comeback. It was a quiet first visit to Scotiabank Arena for Shaedon Sharpe, the gifted rookie from London, Ont.
Scottie Barnes won a key offensive rebound around three Blazers defenders, which set up Siakam to draw a foul. Fred VanVleet tailed the play tightly and ate a ...
Achiuwa is understandably rusty and needs time to get back, but he was a liability in recent games with his mistakes standing out the most for the second unit. Achiuwa looked more like himself Sunday, making his signature plays such as a block at the rim, a runout in transition where he beat two defenders for the layup, and a lob dunk to go along with his usual dose of athleticism on both ends. Koloko was also the backbone of the bench during a key stretch in the second quarter where the Blazers were held without a basket for six minutes. Unfortunately, the officials whistled Koloko for his fifth foul in 13 minutes, and also slapped him with a technical for protesting his clean play. Unlike in the previous losses to Indiana and Milwaukee, Barnes was aggressive throughout in beating the coverage in a variety of ways. Barnes was also featured more in pick-and-rolls, often with VanVleet as the handler, where Barnes would catch it on the move for either a strong take at the rim, or for a kickout to the corner. He stood in for a pair of charges, finished a roll to the basket off a pocket pass from Siakam, won a tip-out offensive rebound which produced a three on the recycled possession, and corralled a steal for a hit-ahead assist. Outside of the clutch run, VanVleet managed the flow of the game well as a secondary ball-handler beside Siakam, including multiple drive-and-kick sequences to find OG Anunoby in the corners and Barnes on the roll to the basket. Siakam was equally as committed on the defensive end, most notably as a defender against Lillard in the fourth where he collected a steal, a block, and forced Lillard into an airball. He was noticeably more energized in his approach, and while he missed a few chances down the stretch, his approach to the game was unquestionably positive. Portland used a shorter defender in Josh Hart for the defensive assignment, while the 7-foot Nurkic was permanently stationed at the rim, but Siakam managed to find space in the middle of the paint with short jumpers to shoot over top of the defence. The starters started poorly on defence, allowing the Blazers to waltz in for two layups and two open threes to start before Nick Nurse called an early first timeout.