NBA Betting Picks: Toronto Raptors vs. Sacramento Kings: January 25th 2009

Free NBA Pick: Toronto Raptors -9.0 - Sun January 25th 2009 6:05p
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Toronto snapped a seven game losing streak at Chicago on Friday Night with a 20 point road win against the Bulls. During that span, the Raptors were underdogs six times, facing Boston twice, along with Atlanta, Detroit, and the improving Pacers on the road, as well as the Phoenix Suns at home.

Even in defeat, the Raptors have remained competitive, losing only one of those games by more than seven points. They took the Celtics to overtime. They came one shot away from upsetting Phoenix and Atlanta. While things have been rough in recent weeks, this is not a team that’s falling apart right now. Rather, they are a team that’s about to come together.

Toronto just completed a 10 game stretch without two key starters, center Jermaine O’Neal and point guard Jose Calderon. O’Neal returned to the court last Wednesday and Calderon joined him on Friday.

Calderon’s injury, in particular, has really hampered this team offensively. They were clearly sparked by his return on Friday. Head coach Jay Triano, “It’s completely different with him on the floor. He’s in control of the ball. He’s in control of the other players on the floor. He makes shots. He makes plays.”

When a struggling team returns home after a tough scheduling stretch and gets two key starters back in the lineup at the same time, it’s definitely a spot for us to seriously consider supporting them. Their opponent here is coming off a brutal two point road loss in a wild, uptempo game at Milwaukee last night to drop their record to 0-17 against the Eastern Conference and 3-19 on the road.

Expect a lethargic effort from the Kings and an inspired effort from the Raptors leading to a double digit win for the home team. Take Toronto.