Zach Thompson details his best player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Sunday’s matchup between the Magic and the Raptors.
The NBA closes out the weekend with nine games on the scoreboard this Sunday, and in one important Eastern Conference matchup, the Toronto Raptors welcome the Orlando Magic to the Scotiabank Arena at 6:00 p.m. ET. The two teams are battling for playoff positions in the Eastern Conference and can improve their playoff seeding with a strong finish. Let’s break down both sides of the contest and find a few strong player prop bets to back from this Magic-Raptors matchup.
In the bigger picture, the Raptors are 1.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with a game total of 225.5 points.
The Raptors are 41-32 and start the day in the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Magic are 39-34 in the No. 8 spot. Both teams won their last game, with the Magic halting a six-game losing streak by beating the Kings on Thursday and the Raptors dispatching the Pelicans on Friday in their return home after a 2-3 road trip to the West. Neither team is on fire right now but both are looking to gear up for a run in the playoffs.
In this matchup, the Magic remain without Anthony Black, Franz Wagner and Jonathan Isaac, while the Raptors listed Brandon Ingram and Collin Murray-Boyles as questionable and Immanuel Quickley as out.
Magic at Raptors Best Prop Bets
Scottie Barnes 8+ Assists (+105)
Barnes has stepped in while Quickley has been out for the last three games and produced double-digit assists in each of his last three games. He had 12 assists in each of his last two games, also scoring 23 points to power his team to a win on Friday over New Orleans.
On the season, Barnes is only averaging 5.6 assists, but he takes on a much more active playmaking role without Quickley. In his six games this season without Quickley, Barnes is averaging 9.5 assists per game, so getting plus-money for him reaching eight assists in this contest is an excellent value.
Barnes hasn’t had to play point forward as much this season, but with Quickley out, he’s excelling in that role and will cause matchup issues for Orlando, however it tries to slow him down.
Jalen Suggs u14.5 Points (-118)
Suggs had only eight points in his 34 minutes of Thursday’s win over Sacramento in his return from a two-game absence. He played plenty of minutes but only took eight shots from the field. His eight-point total means that he has been held under this points prop line in six straight games and eight of his last 10. The offense is clearly leaning heavily on Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane, with Suggs playing a smaller role in the offense.
He still gets enough points to go off with a big game every once in a while, but for the most part, he has become just a long-range threat, and not an especially efficient one. Suggs does have a high ceiling and can get over this mark in some matchups, but the Raptors have been a solid defense overall this season, and without Quickley, they have a lot of length they can send to slow Suggs if he gets going.
Since the All-Star break, Suggs is shooting 42.3% from the field and 32.2% from three-point range, while producing 13.2 points per game.
Ja’Kobe Walter o15.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-129)
Walter has stepped into a larger role for the Raps lately, starting two of the last three games and contributing solid numbers, whether in the second unit or the starting five. He had 18 points, four assists and a rebound against the Pelicans on Friday to cruise past this number, even though Ingram played and R.J. Barrett returned from a shoulder injury.
If Ingram is out, this becomes an even safer play, but Walter has impressed enough to use him confidently regardless of Ingram’s final status.
Walter has gone over this PRA (points, rebounds and assists) prop line in five of his last six games, averaging 14.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists. The 21-year-old still has lots of upside long-term and can continue to be a key contributor in the short term as well for Toronto on Sunday night.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Paolo Banchero 25+ Points (-105)
If you’re building an SGP (Same Game Parlay) from this Sunday matchup, one way to boost the odds even higher is by banking on Banchero to score at least 25 points. Adding this as the fourth player prop into the mix boosts the SGP all the way up to an even +1000 for these four Magic-Raptors bets.
Banchero has scored at least 30 points in each of his last three games and is averaging 22.8 points per game on the season. He has at least 25 points in eight of his last 12 games and is looking to be more aggressive and carry his team into the postseason. He’s establishing himself as a true superstar and taking on all the work he can for the Magic.
