Toronto Raptors 2020 Restart Preview - NBA Odds, Picks, & Betting Predictions

The Toronto Raptors started the 2019-20 NBA regular season as the defending NBA champions, but were not expected to battle for another NBA title after losing superstar Kawhi Leonard to free agency in the offseason. However, the Raptors surprised many from the opening tipoff until the stoppage of play during the season on March 11th by compiling a record of 46-18. Toronto is in second place in the Eastern Conference standings 6 ½  games behind the first-place Milwaukee Bucks and leads the Atlantic division by three games over the second-place Boston Celtics.

The NBA regular season is tentatively scheduled to resume on July 31st and Toronto's leading scorer through the first 64 games of the regular season is Pascal Siakam with an average of 23.6 points per game. Serge Ibaka is the leading rebounder for the Raptors with an average of 8.3 per game and Kyle Lowry is the second-leading scorer with an average of 19.7 points per game and leads Toronto in assists with an average of 7.7 per game.

The success of the Raptors through 64 games has been their defense which is ranked second overall in the NBA. The Raptors are the only NBA team that ranks in the top five for both opponent field-goal percentage in the paint and opponent effective field-goal percentage for shots that are taken outside the paint. Although the offense is not as strong this season without Leonard, young players have stepped forward to help out veterans Lowry, Ibaka and Marc Gasol. Rookie Terrance Davis has surprised many as the undrafted rookie has been much more reliable than many considered he would be.

The top two players this season for the Raptors have been Lowry and Siakam. Both are a huge part of the Raptors tough defense and offensively Siakam has become the team's biggest threat and a legitimate scorer in the league, while Lowry continues to score nearly 20 points per game and is handing out an impressive 7.7 assists per game. A huge plus for Toronto this season has been the playoff OG Anunoby, who has increased his minutes from 20.2 last season to 30.1; increased his points scored per game from 7.0 last season to 10.7; and his rebounds have increased from 2.9 to 5.5 per game.

Toronto holds a three-game lead over the Boston Celtics in the Atlantic division but has had to battle through several injuries, which is the only real negative the Raptors have had all season. The nucleus of returning players from the championship season of 2018-19 have all suffered injuries that have cost them 10 games or more each and although players have had plenty of time to recover from injuries, it could be a factor when play resumes on July 31st.

Toronto has proved through the first 64 games of the regular season they are a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference even without their high scorer from last season Kawhi Leonard. Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka are the nucleus for the Raptors on both ends of the court and the improved play of OG Anunoby gives the Raptors a legitimate shot at repeating as Eastern Conference champions. However, this season the Milwaukee Bucks are just too tough and the Raptors will be eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals.