Raptors vs. Knicks Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Monday, Dec. 23

Should bettors expect a low-scoring game in New York?

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is a great prop target tonight. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Don’t look now, but the New York Knicks have won eight of their last 10 games to move into the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference at 18-10 ahead of Monday’s matchup with the Toronto Raptors.

New York beat Toronto by five back on Dec. 9, and the Raptors have been decimated by injuries all season with RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Bruce Brown, Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes all missing a chunk of time – or the whole season (in Brown’s case) – in the 2024-25 campaign. 

Barrett, Poeltl, Brown and Quickley all missed Toronto’s loss to Houston on Sunday, and now the Raptors are set as 14-point underdogs on the road against New York. 

The Knicks have one of the best offenses in the NBA, but can they cover this massive spread at home? New York enters this game with a 8-4 record straight up and 6-5-1 record against the spread at Madison Square Garden this season.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch and my best bet for this Atlantic Division clash. 

Raptors vs. Knicks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Raptors +14 (-112)
• Knicks -14 (-108)

Moneyline

• Raptors: +675
• Knicks: -1050

Total

• 227 (Over -108/Under -112)

Raptors vs. Knicks How to Watch

• Date: Monday, Dec. 23
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Madison Square Garden
• How to Watch (TV): TSN, MSG
• Raptors record: 7-22
• Knicks record: 18-10

Raptors vs. Knicks Injury Reports

Raptors Injury Report

• Not submitted yet

Knicks Injury Report

• Boo Buie III – out
• Kevin McCullar Jr. – out
• Mitchell Robinson – out
• Matt Ryan – out
• Tyler Kolek – questionable
• Pacome Dadiet – questionable
• Ariel Hukporti – questionable

Raptors vs. Knicks Best NBA Prop Bets

Toronto Raptors Best NBA Prop Bet

• RJ Barrett OVER 20.5 Points (-125)

If Barrett returns to the lineup after missing yesterday’s game with an illness, I like him to have a solid scoring game against his former team. 

Earlier this season, RJ dropped 30 points on 13-of-24 shooting against the Knicks, and he’s averaging 23.5 points on 19.0 shots per game in the 2024-25 season. That volume is insane, and if he sees that again on Monday, I’d be shocked if he doesn’t flirt with the 20-point market. 

In 24 games this season, Barrett has 14 with 21 or more points. 

New York Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet

• Jalen Brunson OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-115)

The Raptors are in the top-10 in the NBA in opponent 3-pointers made per game, but they couldn’t slow down Brunson the last time these teams faced off, allowing the All-NBA guard to shoot 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Brunson is coming off a 7-for-10 shooting game from 3 against New Orleans, and he’s pushed his season-long 3-point percentage to 44.6 percent. Not only that, but Brunson has three or more made 3s in 16 of his 28 games and seven of his last 10. 

I’ll back him to stay hot against a banged-up Raptors team tonight. 

Raptors vs. Knicks Prediction and Pick

I’m actually looking to the total in this matchup, as the Raptors are banged up and on a back-to-back and the Knicks have been playing some low-scoring games as of late.

In fact, five of New York’s last seven games have gone under 227 total points, including their matchup with Toronto which finished with 221. 

The Knicks rank 28th in the NBA in pace, and they’ve defended at a much higher level as of late, ranking No. 3 in the league in defensive rating over their last 10 games.

The UNDER has also hit in the majority of the Raptors’ games (15 out of 29), including a 3-2 mark on the second night of back-to-backs. 

Pick: UNDER 227 (-112)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.