Posted on 3/31/2008 5:28:45 PM

NBA Furious Free Picks 2008 – Toronto Seeks Revenge In Charlotte

By Tim Furious

Toronto Raptors (37-36) vs. Charlotte Bobcats (28-45)

Monday, March 31st --- Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte --- 7:00pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Toronto -2 (194)

The last time these two met, the Raptors were kicking off their stretch run without the injured Chris Bosh. Charlotte pounced at the chance and slayed the Raptors 110-98. The Raps are now at full health, and looking to bounce back from the embarrassing defeat that New Orleans just handed them. The Raptors have continually enjoyed success against the Bobcats, and there’s no reason to believe that they won’t crush the Cats tonight, especially with a spread this tight.

Charlotte has stepped up lately, and is on a three-game winning streak which is great, if you’re a Charlotte fan because it’s KILLING their chances of landing a decent pick in the lottery. Fantastic stuff. Three consecutive wins against the Lakers, Seattle and Portland on the road, have the Bobcats playing with a ton of moxie. The problem is that Charlotte is an unconvincing 2-4-1 ATS in their last 7 games and have gone 1-4 ATS in their last five games when playing Toronto.

The reason for the tight line is that Toronto is in a slump. They’ve gone 3-8 SU in their past 11 games and 1-4 ATS in their past 5. On top of that, they’ve been horrible on the road lately. They posted a 0-5 ATS and SU record on their recent road trip, but that was against much tougher Western Conference contenders. The Bobcats are anything but, and it’s silly to believe that the Bobcats can contend with the Raptors.

Sam Mitchell is testing his lines, seeing what his bench has got, and that’s the only reason this game will be close. But Toronto will close this one out in the third, because at the end of the day, they need the W. As I said recently, that seventh seed equates to death for Toronto so they need wins to get out of that.

I love Chris Bosh’s history of success against Okafor and the Bobcats, and that history is what you should be betting on. Charlotte has shown a lot of swagger lately, especially going 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games, but the Raptors are favored for a reason on the road despite their recent troubles.

Bet safely and happily on the Raptors as they close out the season heading in to the NBA playoffs, where they will be a dark horse to advance if they run in to some favorable matchups. So, while you’re at it, check out our betting futures for the NBA as well.

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