Raptors vs. Wizards same-game parlay picks: Back Toronto on an alternate spread
The Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards will meet on Thursday in a game with significant ramifications for the play-in race.
The pregame narrative: The Raptors have been excellent lately while the Wizards have played uninspired ball, Kristaps Porzingis could be in for a big perimeter shooting game and Fred VanVleet is unlikely to make an impact on the boards.
Here are our best Raptors vs. Wizards same-game parlay picks for March 2.
NBA odds as of 12:00 p.m. on 03/02/2023.
Raptors vs. Wizards same-game parlay
Parlay: Raptors +5.5 + Porzingis over 1.5 threes + VanVleet under 4.5 rebounds (+310)
Raptors +5.5 (-265): Toronto is favoured in this one, but we’re going to play it safe on the first leg of this parlay.
Just 32.8% of Washington’s games have resulted in a win by six points or more, and we don’t think this will be one of those games. That’s partly due to the Raptors’ stellar run of play recently.
Toronto is 8-3 since the beginning of February while the Wizards are 5-6.
The Raptors’ road issues should also be mitigated by the fact the Wizards are one of the worst home teams in the league. Washington’s .519 winning percentage at home ranks 23rd in the NBA.
They are also one of just six squads with a negative net rating (-0.4) in their own building.
While the Raptors are 11-19 away from Scotiabank Arena, there may be some bad luck there as their road net rating (-1.5) ranks 10th in the NBA.
Other parlay legs
Porzingis over 1.5 threes (-180): Washington’s big man is a prolific 3-point shooter and this line is unambitious by his standards.
The Latvian veteran has hit multiple threes in a solid 54.9% of his games this season, but he’s been better lately. Porzingis is averaging 2.8 made 3-pointers in his last 15 games, hitting from behind the line at a 48.3% clip and cashing this over nine times.
He should thrive against a Toronto defence that concedes the fourth-highest 3-point percentage in the NBA (37.4%).
VanVleet under 4.5 rebounds (-148): VanVleet has the odd spike game on the glass — like his 12-board effort on February 1 — but performances like that are few and far between.
He’s averaging 4.4 rebounds per game this season, and he’s been a little worse lately.
In his last 14 games, VanVleet has produced 4.1 boards per contest and hit this under nine times. He won’t be helped by facing a Wizards team that ranks seventh in the NBA in rebounding percentage.
They should be even tougher after inserting the 6-foot-5 Delon Wright as their starting point guard, a more capable rebounder than the injured and undersized Monte Morris.
