With over half the NBA in action on Wednesday, there are plenty of intriguing matchups on the docket. One of them, a 7:30 p.m. ET clash between the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors, sees two Eastern Conference foes collide.
Given that both teams are wedged close together in the East standings, this one could go a long way toward influencing playoff seeding. It’s a highly anticipated Wednesday bout as the month of January slows down.
Below, we’ll break down our Knicks vs. Raptors prediction and picks for Wednesday night’s game. Make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Knicks vs. Raptors Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
A season ago, the Knicks went 51-32 under then-head coach Tom Thibodeau. Despite a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, Thibs was relieved of his duties and New York hired Mike Brown to take his place. Their 28-18 record has them in the No. 3 seed as of now.
The Raptors, meanwhile, struggled a year ago, going 30-52 and missing the play-in by a whopping nine games. Some tremendous year-over-year improvement has taken place, as head coach Darko Rajakovic’s crew is 29-19 — tied with New York for 6.5 games out of first place.
Wednesday marks the 117th regular-season meeting between New York and Toronto in their history. The Raptors own a 61-55 all-time advantage, but the Knicks have ripped off 10 wins in a row, including two in this season’s series.
Knicks vs. Raptors Over/Under, Spread
The Knicks enter Wednesday’s game as 1.5-point road underdogs, returning a 1.96x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Raptors are home favorites with a 1.75x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Toronto Raptors -1.5
- Over/Under: 224.5
- Game Winner Payout: Knicks 1.96x | Raptors 1.75x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Knicks vs. Raptors Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Knicks vs. Raptors injury report for Wednesday, January 28, via NBA.com.
Knicks Injury Report
- N/A
Raptors Injury Report
- PF Collin Murray-Boyles (thumb): Questionable
- C Jakob Poeltl (back): OUT
Knicks vs. Raptors Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to know to help you make your Knicks vs. Raptors prediction on Wednesday, January 28.
- Wednesday could be a battle of the very-stoppable force vs. the super-movable object. Toronto has a 6-10 against-the-spread record as home favorites, and New York is an NBA-worst 2-4 ATS as road underdogs.
- The Knicks’ offense boasts the ninth-highest per-game scoring total (117.6 PPG) and the seventh-best average scoring margin (+4.5 PPG).
- Defensively, New York is also ninth in points allowed (113.1 PPG) and cedes the fourth-fewest points in the paint (44.8 PPG).
- Toronto owns basketball’s 19th-ranked effective field goal percentage (53.7), doing most of its damage on fastbreak chances (19.2 PPG, first).
- The other end of the court is where the Raptors shine, sitting top-five in fastbreak prevention (12.5 PPG, second), limiting assists (24.4 APG), and clamping down in the fourth quarter (26.0 PPG, third).
Knicks vs. Raptors Picks for PrizePicks Today: Wednesday, January 28
Here are three top Knicks vs. Raptors picks to target for Wednesday, January 28 on PrizePicks. Player stat projections via PrizePicks are headlined by PG Jalen Brunson, C Karl-Anthony Towns, and F Scottie Barnes.
Knicks PG Jalen Brunson vs. Raptors Projection: 25.5 Points
- Brunson averages 28.0 points per game this season. In the month of January, however, that number is down to 24.0.
- The eighth-year guard is shooting 47.3% from 3-10 feet, his lowest mark dating back to 2020-21 with the Dallas Mavericks.
- Villanova’s own has a free throw rate under .300 (.283) for the first time since 2021.
- With the Raptors having the eighth-best defensive rating (112.0) and both teams being bottom-10 in pace, this could be a less fruitful scoring environment.
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Knicks C Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Raptors Projection: 30.5 Pts + Rebs
- On the year, Towns brings home 31.9 points and rebounds a night. In January, his average is down to 27.3.
- Towns’ 60.0 true shooting percentage is his worst since his debut season back in 2015 with the Minnesota Timberwolves (59.0).
- The former Kentucky big man snags fewer boards on the road (11.0 RPG) than at home (11.8 RPG) and against the East (11.2 RPG) than the West (11.7 RPG).
- Per FantasyPros, the Raptors yield the sixth-lowest average fantasy point total (48.92) to the C position.
Raptors F Scottie Barnes vs. Knicks Projection: 31.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Through 47 games, Barnes averages 33.4 combined points, rebounds, and assists. That’s held true at 34.5 in his last 10 contests.
- Barnes is turning in his best season yet, boasting career-highs in field goal percentage (50.0) and free throw percentage (83.0).
- Via databallr, Barnes’ 9.4% self-miss rebounding rate is in the 98th percentile. He’s also a 94th-percentile defensive rebounder (16.4%).
- Despite tying a career-low with an 18% on-ball rate, according to NBARAPM, Barnes’ 3.1 potential assists per minute on-ball are a personal best.
Make Knicks vs. Raptors Picks on PrizePicks
Knicks vs. Raptors picks aren’t the only avenue hoops fans have to getting in on the daily NBA action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 30 states.
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