The new era of Toronto Raptors basketball is here. The 2019 NBA Championship seems like ages ago but the core of that team has slowly been eroded and what is left is a future-oriented, new-look team. With Pascal Siakam now off to Indiana, the rebuild is here in earnest. It’s time to see how things go.
On Monday night, the Raptors will host another team at a crossroads in the Memphis Grizzlies. Check out the preview below and find out what picks we think should be made for Monday night’s game.
Bet on Raptors vs. Grizzlies
MEM +7.0
TOR -7.0
Raptors vs. Grizzlies odds
| Raptors Moneyline Odds | -280 |
| Grizzlies Moneyline Odds | +230 |
| Over/Under | 226.5 points (over -110, under -110) |
| Spread | Raptors -7.0 (-110) |
| Time/Date | Jan. 22, 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: TSN Stream: NBA League Pass (How to watch the NBA in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
About the Raptors (16-27 SU, 21-22 ATS, 23-20 o/u)
After the departure of guard Fred VanVleet, one of the last pillars of that 2019 NBA Championship team, the Raptors felt like they could give it one more go to make the playoffs. Surely, they thought, the talent was there to make a run for one of the final seeds in the Eastern Conference.
A very slow start put the Raptors in the bottom handful of teams in the conference and appears to have changed that outlook. Since then, the trades have started to come in and it is clear that the Raptors’ brass is now very serious about rebuilding the team.
It began with a New Year’s Eve trade of guard OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks. The Raptors got RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and New York’s 2024 second-round pick. But the real sign of a change in strategy came with the trade of forward Pascal Siakam.
Siakam, who is set to become a free agent, was dealt to the Indiana Pacers for guard Bruce Brown, forward Jordan Nwora, and a trio of first-round picks (two in 2024, plus a conditional 2026 first-round pick. The trade was of the three-way variety, so the Raptors also got Kira Lewis from New Orleans.
While it would be foolish to say that this season is a wash for the Raptors, it’s clear what the objective is now. The Raptors are 12th in the Eastern Conference, seven games above the Hornets. The Raptors will be looking to build young talent and hopefully land a quality lottery pick. The rebuild is on in Toronto.
About the Grizzlies (15-27 SU, 17-25 ATS, 18-24 o/u)
Oh, the difference a year makes. Last year, the Grizzlies finished second in the Western Conference, just two games behind the top seed and eventual NBA Champion Denver Nuggets. After a tumultuous offseason, the Grizzlies are now 13th in a very competitive Western Conference.
What happened? Where did it all go wrong? Well, it started with one of the leaders of the team, young superstar Ja Morant. As one of the best players in the league, Morant had the world by the tail. But multiple posts on social media of him brandishing a firearm led to the eventual 25-game suspension to start the season.
Since then, the Grizzlies have both underachieved and been decimated by injury. Steven Adams was the first to go, undergoing surgery on his right knee back at the beginning of November. Brandon Clarke hurt his Achilles, though he is expected back somewhere around mid-February. Morant will miss the remainder of the season after shoulder surgery. Marcus Smart is out for six weeks with a finger injury. And so on.
Internally, the Grizzlies have no doubt written this season off. The bulk of what looked to be one of the best young teams in the league a year ago has been destroyed by injury. The hope for the Grizzlies is that they can finish out the year with a little momentum and look ahead to the 2024-25 season for a rebound.
Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM) under 1.5 blocks
-120
Injury Concerns
- Where to start with the Grizzlies? As mentioned, Adams, Clarke, Morant, and Smart are all out for the foreseeable future. Jake LaRavia is dealing with an ankle sprain and will be out for a few weeks. Derrick Rose has been in and out of the lineup. Desmond Bane has an ankle sprain and is out for roughly six weeks. There is no end to the Grizzlies’ injury woes.
- The Raptors, meanwhile, are relatively injury-free. The only issue is center Jakob Poeltl, who has been dealing with an ankle injury. He took part in some light shooting but is still at least a week away from being evaluated.
Betting Trends
- The Raptors have been pretty good about hitting the over this year (23-20), but it has been tough going for them of late. They have failed to hit the over in four consecutive games after ripping off a stretch of five straight overs.
- The Grizzlies have been terrible against the spread this season (17-25). They have been cold as of late, failing to cover in four of their previous five games. They’ve been streaky: failing to cover in five games, covering in four, failing in five, covering in three at times this season.
- The Raptors have also been quite cold when it comes to covering the spread lately. They have failed to do so in four of their last five games following a stretch where they covered in five of six and seven of nine games. In that stretch, they have suffered multiple 20+ point losses.
Player Prop Trends
- Immanuel Quickley has his points + rebounds combo set at 23.5 (-110). In the 11 games he’s been with the Raptors, Quickley has been reliably topping that number. He’s hit 29 points + rebounds twice so far and has hit over 23.5 combined points + rebounds seven times in that 11-game stretch.
- Jaren Jackson Jr., aka the “Block Panther,” is the defending Defensive Player of the Year. His blocks prop is set at 1.5 (O -110; U -120). Despite the nickname, he has been cold of late. Though he had a stretch of three straight games with three or more blocks, he has since registered no more than one in his last six games.
- RJ Barrett has become a much bigger part of the offence since arriving in Toronto. His points prop is set at 21.5 (O -115; U -115) and he has been on fire of late. His high over the first three games after the trade was 19, but Barrett has gone over 20.5 in five of eight games since. He even had a 37-point night in just his fourth game with the Raptors.
Wagers to Consider
- Despite recent success from the Grizzlies hitting the over, they are one of the worst offensive teams in the league. Between that and the recent streak of unders by the Raptors, go with under 227 total points (-110) in this one.
- Going back to Jackson, there are plenty of props out there where he is doing well. But he’s been ice-cold when it comes to his blocks total (1.5). Until he can prove that he’s back on track with multiple blocks per game, take his under in this one.
- Both teams have been miserable against the spread of late, each failing to cover in four of their last five. The Grizzlies have been atrocious offensively, however, scoring 103 points or fewer in three of those games. The Raptors can still score fairly well, so look for them to cover the 7-point spread (-110) in a relatively comfortable win on Monday night.
