How Sportsbooks Are Viewing the Toronto Raptors’ Playoff Chances

Coming into the season, many fans were optimistic the Toronto Raptors could be a better team than last year and potentially win a playoff series. The Raptors did not live up to those expectations in the regular season. On the bright side, the NBA playoffs are around the corner.

If March Madness this year has shown sports fans anything, the tournament reminded us how unpredictable sports can be. It doesn’t look like the Raptors will represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, but there’s always a chance. Take a look at how sportsbooks are viewing the Raptors in the overall playoff picture.

Making the Playoffs

The Toronto Raptors are currently 9th in the Eastern Conference. On Bet99, the Raptors are being viewed as an underdog to make the playoffs. Toronto has +104 odds to make the playoffs and the odds are -132 on bets for them to miss the playoffs. The Raptors are trending towards being a play-in team, they would need to get to the 6th spot in the east to avoid it but are three games behind the 6th place Brooklyn Nets in the win column.

If the Raptors are likely headed to the play-in tournament, a bet on them to miss or make the playoffs is closer to a bet on whether or not they will survive the tournament. The Raptors have the same record as the 8th place Atlanta Hawks. The Raptors are not favored to make the playoffs on BetRiver with -130 odds to miss the playoffs.

Winning the Eastern Conference

Despite currently being in 9th place in the east, the Toronto Raptors have the 7th best odds to win the east at +7900 on Bet99. For context, the team with the 6th best odds is the Miami Heat at +3400 and the team with the best odds is the Milwaukee Bucks at +129.

A bunch of NBA betting sites are giving the Raptors the 7th best odds. The odds indicate that the Raptors chances of winning the east are slim, but the odds also offer a huge payout if the team were to somehow trek through the play-in tournament and conference.

The Raptors will likely need to be the healthiest and luckiest team in the playoffs to make it to the NBA Finals. There was a lot of optimism last season around the possibility of the Raptors beating the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs, the 76ers currently have the third best odds to win the east at +440. If the Raptors could find a way to beat a team like the 76ers this year, it might not be crazy to say they have a shot against anyone in the east. However, they aren’t exactly overwhelming the league heading into the postseason.

Making the Play-In

The Raptors are basically a lock to make the play-in tournament. Bet99 isn’t taking bets on the Raptors to make the play-in tournament. If looking to place a bet on a team to make the play-in, check out a few other teams. The Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers are +2000 to make the play-in tournament. The 6th place Nets have +225 odds to fall into the tournament, and the 7th place Miami Heat have -275 odds to avoid the play-in.