Posted on 3/4/2008 1:08:15 PM

NBA Betting - Fading the Bosh-less Raptors

By BetUS Staff

The Toronto Raptors are once again the darlings of the NBA betting scene. They are enjoying their third profitable season in a row at 32-25-1 against the spread, fuelled by a potent combination of anonymity and talent. But Toronto has hit a speed bump on the road to the vault.

Chris Bosh, Toronto’s feature attraction and one of the best players in the game today, had to leave Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter with a sore right knee. The Raps proceeded to lose that game 122-111, dropping the cash as 11-point home faves, then dropped a 110-98 decision on the road to the Charlotte Bobcats (+3.5).

Bosh is listed as day-to-day, although reports from Toronto suggest the three-time All-Star will miss both of his team’s upcoming contests in Florida: Tuesday against the Orlando Magic and Wednesday versus the Miami Heat. This is a huge break for Toronto’s opponents, but the betting public wouldn’t know Bosh from a hole in the ground – not even with those funky All-Star voting ads. That’s what playing in Canada (and following in the footsteps of Vince Carter) can do to a basketball player’s profile.

What if we told you Bosh is having a better season than Kobe Bryant? The advanced stats say as much: Bosh is fifth in the league with a 25.16 Player Efficiency Rating, one spot higher than Bryant at 25.00. Granted, Kobe is a stellar defender. Bosh is excellent at drawing fouls and is no pushover, but defense is still not the best part of his game. Yet here Bosh is with a career-high 25.1 points per 40 minutes.

The Raptors are noted for having one of the deepest rotations in the league. Trading Juan Dixon for Primos Brezec turned out to be smart (for now), as the Bosh-less Raps were down to a starting 4-5 of Andrei Bargnani and Rasho Nesterovic. Brezec played 11 minutes off the bench against Charlotte and scored on his only shot attempt. Kris Humphries has also proved surprisingly capable in the paint since coming over from Utah in the Rafael Araujo trade.

But that depth doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in the ATS column. Fans of the NBA (at least, those situated south of the 49th Parallel) are not paying attention to the Raptors. That’s their prerogative. Yours is to take their cash. Check out the latest NBA betting odds to see how the betting public is treating Toronto this week, and keep an eye on the injury reports for the latest on Bosh. Once he gets back into play, Toronto’s betting value should return as well.

You’ll find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!