Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s contest between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Toronto Raptors.
For the first time in exactly a month, the Raptors will face-off with a Western Conference opponent, as the team welcomes the Trail Blazers to Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night.
Toronto has dropped it’s past two contests after going on a nine-game winning streak throughout November, while Portland is back below .500 with seven losses in its past nine matchups. Still, the Blazers hung around with the reigning champion Thunder on Sunday, which has to give everyone on the roster a bit of a confidence boost.
Which squad will get back in the win column this evening? Let’s preview tonight’s game with the help of some of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Trail Blazers vs. Raptors prediction, preview
It would be impossible to overstate how well Deni Avdija played in Portland’s 123-115 loss to Oklahoma City — the best defense in the NBA by a full seven points allowed per 100 possessions. His team may have come up short in the end, but Avdija posted a massive triple-double, finishing the contest with 31 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. The former Wizards’ lottery pick has had to essentially act as the Blazers’ lead guard in recent weeks, as both Jrue Holiday (calf) and Scott Henderson (hamstring) have been unavailable. For the season as a whole, Avdija is averaging career-highs in both points per game (25.6) and assists per game (5.8), and it feels like it’s going to be very hard for those around the league to leave the 24-year-old off their All-Star ballots next month.
Scottie Barnes is also making the case for an All-Star nod, though his résumé is far more about his impact on the defensive side of the ball. While the former Rookie of the Year is producing a solid 19.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest, Barnes is also the only man in the NBA with at least 30 steals and 30 blocks this season, a massive reason why Toronto is in possession of the league’s fifth best defensive rating (111.5).
While Barnes leads the charge on that side of the ball, Brandon Ingram has been the Raptors’ engine on offense — though his past two starts have left a lot to be desired. After hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater against the Pacers last Wednesday, Ingram missed a very similar shot to win Saturday’s contest versus the Hornets. Toronto would go on to lose that matchup in overtime. Then, Ingram registered only 14 points in the Raptors’ lopsided defeat in New York on Sunday, hitting just a single field goal attempt in the first half. The veteran wing has been a huge reason why Toronto’s half-court offense in 2025-26 has been far more efficient than anyone could have imagined, yet when his mid-range shot isn’t falling, the Raptors will struggle to score consistently, especially with RJ Barrett (knee) still injured.
Trail Blazers vs. Raptors pick, best bet
Honestly, I’d even take a look at some alternate totals in this spot, with the under at 225.5 paying +140 on DraftKings Sportsbook. It’s only a four-game sample, yet the Raptors have played like it’s 1998 since RJ Barrett’s injury, posting the league’s worst offensive rating (102.7) and it’s fourth-best defensive rating (107.0). It’s not like the Blazers are all that efficient at scoring, either.