NBA Betting Preview: Miami Heat vs. Toronto Raptors Game 1 Odds, Analysis

The Toronto Raptors will host the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their second-round NBA playoff series Tuesday after each team won a Game 7 at home Sunday.

The Raptors had a tougher time advancing than the Heat, though, and they are listed as consensus 4.5-point favorites at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Toronto held on for an 89-84 win over the Indiana Pacers to advance despite getting outscored 20-11 in the fourth quarter and failing to cover the spread in its fourth consecutive game as a six-point favorite on the betting lines at the sportsbooks.

DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with a game-high 30 points to top Indiana’s Paul George, who scored 26 and set a team record for most points in a series. DeRozan made just 10 of 32 shots from the field in the clincher but continued his trend of being aggressive in the odd-numbered games and getting to the free-throw line.

In Games 1, 3, 5 and 7, DeRozan went 32-of-37 from the charity stripe (86.5 percent) compared to just 2-of-2 in the other three combined.

DeRozan’s ability to get to the line could be the key to this series against the Heat, especially in Game 1, as his counterpart Dwyane Wade has been known to get more than a few foul calls in his career for Miami.

Wade averaged just 18.3 points in four meetings with Toronto during the regular season, while DeRozan scored 29.3 points per game as his team won and covered the last three, including two at home.

The Raptors have a solid edge in the backcourt overall, as DeRozan is not the only All-Star. Point guard Kyle Lowry figures to have an advantage versus the Heat’s Goran Dragic, who was outplayed by Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets in the first round until Game 7.

Dragic exploded for 25 points, which is nearly 11 points more than his scoring average during the regular season and the playoffs (14.1).

Miami routed Charlotte 106-73 and easily covered as a six-point favorite to get here. However, the Heat have lost three in a row at Toronto both straight up and against the spread, according to the Odds Shark NBA Database, along with five of the past six meetings overall.

Before this skid, they won 16 straight in the series, going 10-6 ATS.