The red-hot San Antonio Spurs are two wins away from completing a perfect month of February. They attempt to register the first one against a team with which they’ve had little problems of late.
San Antonio (41-16) looks to improve to 10-0 in February when it visits Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday to take on the Toronto Raptors (34-24) at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Spurs, who haven’t lost since dropping a 111-106 decision to the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 31 and are just three games behind the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, play their final contest of the month Thursday against the Nets in Brooklyn.
The current nine-game winning streak is San Antonio’s longest since it recorded a 10-game run in April 2012. The Spurs have won four consecutive meetings with the Raptors, with three coming by double digits, including a 121-103 home triumph earlier this season.
Five other games are on Wednesday’s NBA schedule, including a matchup between the Boston Celtics (38-19) and Denver Nuggets (36-22) at 10 p.m. ET at Ball Arena in Denver. The Celtics also are sizzling as they have won four straight games and nine of their last 10 after improving to 3-0 on their four-game road trip with Tuesday’s 97-81 victory against the Phoenix Suns.
The NHL returns from the Olympic break with an eight-game slate, one of which has the Vancouver Canucks (18-33-6) hosting the Winnipeg Jets (22-26-8) at 10 p.m. ET at Rogers Arena. Both teams have struggled of late, with the Jets losing seven of their last 10 games (3-4-3) and the Canucks winning just three of their past 22 contests (3-16-3).
There is an abundance of games on Wednesday’s college basketball schedule, with one being an American Conference showdown between North Texas (16-12) and Charlotte (14-13) at 7 p.m. ET at Dale F. Halton Arena. The Mean Green have won four of their last five contests, while the 49ers are coming off a 68-56 victory against East Carolina on Saturday that ended a four-game losing streak.
The Spurs are 7.5-point favorites against the Raptors in the latest consensus NBA odds, while the Nuggets are 3.5-point favorites over the Celtics. The Capitals are -153 on the money line versus the Flyers and North Texas is a 1.5-point favorite against Charlotte.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Wednesday, Feb. 25. All times Eastern
NBA best bets, where to watch
Spurs at Raptors
Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Toronto | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Raptors +7.5 (-109)
The Spurs have defeated the Raptors by an average of 20.5 points during their four-game winning streak in the all-time series, with only one of those victories coming by fewer than eight. San Antonio has beaten its opponents by at least nine points in every contest during its current nine-game winning streak, with the last eight triumphs being by double digits. But even though the Raptors lost to the Thunder by nine points last night, the SportsLine Projection Model believes they’ll keep it close against the Spurs as they cover the spread in 64% of its simulations.
Celtics at Nuggets
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Denver | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Celtics +3.5 (-111) | Expert: Derrick White Over 5.5 assists (-132, Mike Barner)
The Celtics are riding a four-game winning streak during which they’ve defeated each opponent by at least 11 points. Even though Jaylen Brown (knee) did not play against Phoenix on Tuesday, Boston posted a 16-point victory. Brown is listed as questionable but is expected by many to be in the lineup versus the Nuggets, who have lost six of their last nine overall games and two of three at home. Even with Brown’s status up in the air, the SportsLine Projection Model’s simulations have the Celtics covering the spread 67% of the time. SportsLine NBA expert Mike Barner (46-21, +2169 on his last 67 NBA player prop picks) feels Derrick White will be a solid contributor for the Celtics as the guard, who led the team with 22 points against the Suns, has recorded eight or more assists in eight of his last 10 outings.
NHL best bets, where to watch
Jets at Canucks
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Vancouver | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Under 6.5 (-123)
The Canucks are the worst defensive team in the NHL as they have allowed a league-high 208 goals this season. However, neither team in this matchup is an offensive force as Vancouver ranks 29th in scoring with 145 tallies while Winnipeg is 25th with 159. The Canucks have scored two goals in each of their last six games and the Jets have been held to fewer than three in six of their last nine contests. Even though three-time Vezina Trophy recipient and Olympic gold medal winner Connor Hellebuyck isn’t expected to be in the crease for Winnipeg, the SportsLine Projection Model doesn’t see a high-scoring affair, as the Under hits in more than 64% of its simulations.
CBB best bets, where to watch
North Texas at Charlotte
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Charlotte, N.C. | TV: ESPN+
SportsLine picks — Model: Charlotte -106 | Expert: Charlotte +0.5 (-118, Larry Hartstein)
The 49ers won nine of 11 contests before their four-game slide, which ended with Saturday’s 12-point triumph over East Carolina. That victory came at home, where Charlotte is 7-2 against North Texas. The SportsLine Projection Model thinks head coach Aaron Fearne’s squad will continue that dominance in the all-time series as its simulations have the 49ers winning 61% of the time. SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein (5-0, +500 on his last five against-the-spread picks involving Charlotte) agrees, and he was able to get the 49ers — who have covered the spread in each of their last three meetings with the Mean Green — at +0.5 at BetRivers Sportsbook.
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