Atlanta Hawks vs Toronto Raptors Odds, Player Props, Picks & Predictions (Dec. 13)

• Two struggling teams meet on Wednesday when the Atlanta Hawks visit the Toronto Raptors
• Both have lost four straight entering Wednesday’s game
• Get the Hawks vs Raptors odds, player props, and picks on Dec. 13

Both desperate for a win, the Atlanta Hawks (9-13, 6-6 away, 5-17 ATS) and Toronto Raptors (9-14, 6-6 home, 10-12-1 ATS) meet on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto at 7:40 pm ET.

Mired in four-game losing streaks, neither Atlanta nor Toronto has managed to win a game in the month of December. Oddsmakers give Toronto the slight edge in Wednesday’s NBA odds, but slight is the operative word.

Atlanta Hawks vs Toronto Raptors Odds

The Raptors are 1.5-point home favorites and -125 on the moneyline. The Hawks are +105 underdogs to pick up their first win of the month.

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Atlanta is seen as a more credible threat to turn things around and make a deep playoff run. The Hawks are listed at +4250 in the NBA Eastern Conference odds, well ahead of Toronto (+9750).

Hawks Defense (Somehow) Getting Worse

Losers of four in a row and six of seven, the Hawks have also lost seven straight games against the spread. Their only straight-up victory in that span came against the 3-19 San Antonio Spurs (137-135) as six-point road favorites. Atlanta’s 5-17 ATS record (22.7 cover percentage) is, by a wide margin, the worst in the NBA. The Spurs are second-worst at 8-14 (36.4 cover percentage).

Atlanta’s 118.2 offensive rating is fifth-best in the league, but its 118.8 defensive rating is fourth-worst (down four sports from where it finished last season). With a net rating of -0.6, they sit 21st in the NBA, though that is one spot ahead of the Raptors, who are 20th on offense (112.2) and 18th on defense (114.1).

As expected, Trae Young leads the team in scoring (26.8 PPG) and assists (10.5 APG) but has seen his efficiency go down. Young’s Player Efficiency Rating of 21.9 is the lowest its been since his rookie season (17.0). Former Spur Dejounte Murray is also north of 20 points per game (20.0 PPG) for the third straight season, but has also seen his PER decline. A stellar 22.3 PER in his last season with San Antonio decreased to 17.0 in his first with Atlanta and is down to 16.8 in his second.

Against the reigning-champion Denver Nuggets last time out, the Hawks got 40 off the bench from Bogdan Bogdanovic to go along with 21 from Murray and 19 from Young, but still fell 129-122 (and trailed by 17 after three quarters).

Atlanta’s injury report ahead of Wednesday’s game is even more cause for concern. Young is listed as “probable” to be in Wednesday’s NBA lineups due to a shoulder strain, while De’Andre Hunter (14.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG in 30.6 MPG) is “questionable” with a knee injury.

Toronto’s Stars Subpar So Far

To an even greater extent than Atlanta, the Raptors are not getting enough out of their stars. Pascal Siakam has seen his scoring average drop from 24.2 last year to just 20.7 this season while his PER has dropped three whole points from 20.3 to 17.3. Many Toronto fans were hoping that Scottie Barnes would make the leap to All-Star status this season, but the 2022 Rookie of the Year. While he has made strides (raising his PPG from 15.3 to 19.8 and his 3P% from 28.1 to 38.2), it’s not the quantum leap necessary to turn the Raptors into a true Eastern Conference contender.

The offense, which finished last season 13th in offensive rating, is noticeably worse without point guard Fred VanVleet, who signed with Houston in the offseason.  Dennis Schroder (15.3 PPG, 7.0 APG) is doing his best to fill the gap but is a significant step down.

Lack of three-point shooting has been the biggest issue at the offensive end. The Raps are deadlast in the league at 33.4% from beyond the arc. Last game, a 119-106 home loss to the Knicks, was a case-in-point as Toronto went a miserable 6-of-32 from three (18.8%) and wound up on the losing end despite grabbing five more rebounds and getting to the free-throw line more.

Toronto’s last win was a 112-105 victory over Phoenix when the Raps managed to go 10-27 (37%) from three while limiting the Suns to just 7-of-26 (a 26.9 3P%).

Hawks vs Raptors Player Props

Player props and odds from the DraftKings Sportsbook app on Dec. 13. 

Wednesday’s NBA player props list Young with the highest point total in this game at 28.5 and assist total at 9.5. Siakam (24.5) has the highest point total among the Raptors, while Atlanta center Clint Capela leads all players in rebounding totals (12.5).

Hawks vs Raptors Prediction

There is very little to like about the way either team is playing recently. But the grander scheme suggests Toronto is better value as modest -125 home favorites.  The Raptors are 57-37 at home over the past two-plus seasons, while Young’s Hawks are just 39-55 on the road.

Atlanta’s minimal advantage in net rating will be more than erased by Toronto’s home-court advantage.

ATL vs TOR pick: Raptors moneyline (-125)

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NBA betting record:

• 8-5-2 ATS (+2.26 units)
• 4-3 ML (+1.22 units)
• 3-9 player props (-6.27 units)

All wagers one unit unless expressly stated otherwise.