After a terrible run that included losing nine of ten games that made the Raptors look like they should be back on the ranks of the March Madness odds and not the NBA, they have bounced back with three wins in four games to remain in a playoff spot just two and a half games up on the ninth place Chicago Bulls. Their opponents Wednesday night, the Utah Jazz, have all but secured a playoff spot of their own but remain in a different type of postseason position battle, with just four games separating the Jazz in fourth place, from the Portland Trail Blazers in the eighth and final spot in the Western conference.
Utah Jazz @ Toronto Raptors
Wednesday March 23, 2010- 7PM ET
Online Casino Basketball Odds: Jazz -220
The playoff positions among Western conference teams are anything but concrete, with just five and a half games separating the second seed from the eighth seed, with less than a month to go in the National Basketball Association's regular season schedule. The Jazz have kept pace with the second place Nuggets, and third place Mavericks by winning seven of their last ten including two straight while Denver and Dallas have lost three straight combined. Utah will look to further close the gap between it and home court advantage throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs and move one game above .500 on the road this season with a win in Toronto, and the odds are in its favor.
Toronto is 10-16 this season against out of conference opponents, and has not been playing its best ball of the season recently. After dropping nine of ten, the Raptors have won three of four, however two of those wins have come against the last place teams in each conference, the New Jersey Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves. A tough schedule including the Jazz and Denver Nuggets on home court, before traveling to Miami and Charlotte, the two teams battling with the Raptors for the bottom three spots inside the playoff bracket may cause the team to be looking ahead instead of concentrating on the task at hand. Utah spanked Toronto 104-91 when these teams met earlier in the season in Salt Lake City, way before NCAA March Madness commence.
Pick: Jazz -220
NBA Betting Lines: Over/Under 196
This game will feature two of the association's top-five scoring teams. The Jazz rank fifth with an average of just over 103 points per game, while the Raptors rank one spot ahead of them with only 0.12 more points per game. Chris Bosh is full healthy for Toronto, and that has helped the offense regain its scoring touch, while Utah has been on an absolute tear offensively, reaching the century mark in six straight contests including Monday night in a 110-97 win over Boston. The last time these teams met, they combined for 195 points but the Raptors are a much better all-around team at home than they are on the road, and should be able to put up a higher total in front of the sportsbook home crowd.
Pick: Over 196
