It's too early to hit the panic button, but the struggling Denver Nuggets will look to quiet the noise when they take on the Toronto Raptors tonight.

At 3-3, with a concussion for Jamal Murray just the latest setback, Denver stumbled out of the gate – so my Raptors vs. Nuggets predictions focus more on the improving visitors and their backup No. 1 scorer.

Read on to find out my NBA picks and betting options ahead of this game on November 4th.

Raptors vs Nuggets prediction

My best choice
RJ Barrett over 24.5 points (-105 at PointsBet)

My analysis
The Toronto Raptors are still waiting to see their core trio of Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett in action together this year – and the wait continues here with Barnes sidelined and Quickley listed as doubtful.

That leaves Barrett with a heavy point load, and he has embraced that role so far, reaching the 30-point mark in three straight games.

He was the leading scorer in Toronto's overtime win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, a night after dropping 33 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, and I'm taking those chances for another dominant performance.

It's also partly a volume game. Barrett has racked up 21 or more field attempts in three of his four appearances this season, and that trend looks set to continue at Ball Arena given the visitors' lack of consistent scorers.

While Jakob Poeltl, Davion Mitchell and Ochai Agbaji are valuable facilitators, it will be up to Barrett and Gradey Dick to fuel the Toronto offense.

Barrett's 3-point shooting could decide this pick, but he is 10 of 20 from downtown in his last three contests. The Denver Nuggets' perimeter defense has been sloppy through the first six games, and more minutes for Russell Westbrook (in Murray's absence) won't help matters.

For a Nuggets team that's also sweating on Aaron Gordon's health, the Barrett deployment could be a real problem tonight, and I like the Canadian's chances of taking the over.

Raptors vs. Nuggets – Same Game Parlay (SGP)

RJ Barrett Over 24.5 points

Raptors +10.5

Nikola Jokic Over 11.5 rebounds

The Raptors took the Nuggets to overtime last week and actually led for much of the game. So it's hard to trust Denver with that much of a spread, especially if Murray isn't out there as a reliable secondary.

Instead, I'm putting the points down and counting on Toronto's freshman-heavy Mile High City-caliber second unit to provide a jolt against a group of Nuggets reserves that are off to a shaky start.

The Raptors have made up the difference in six of their seven games this year, and Darko Rajakovic has been ready to make an impact in the absence of key players. I see the guests playing hard once again and staying so close.

I'm also betting on Nikola Jokic collecting rebounds here. He has a physical edge over Poeltl, and Toronto is poor in the frontcourt when foul trouble arises.

Denver is asking so much of Jokic this season, but he has responded with eye-popping box scores, even by his own high standards. He hit 16 boards in just 30 minutes against the Utah Jazz over the weekend, and the three-time MVP has a good shot at a similar tally tonight.

Learn how to place a bet in the same game with these helpful tips and strategies.

Raptors vs Nuggets odds

Raptors vs Nuggets live odds

Get the latest Raptors vs. Nuggets NBA odds.

Raptors vs. Nuggets opening odds

• Spread: Toronto +9.5 | Denver -9.5
• Money line: Toronto +350 | Denver -425
• Over/Under: Over 229.5 | Below 229.5

Raptors vs. Nuggets spread and over/under analysis

• The Raptors enter as double-digit underdogs but are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games, while the Nuggets are 4-6 ATS over the same span.
• Although Denver has won six of the last eight meetings between these teams, none of those wins have come by a margin of more than 10 points.
• Toronto has won the Over in 27 of its last 41 away games, and the 4Q Over has been a winning ticket in 15 of the visitors' last 20 contests overall.
• But the under at a line of 231.5 seems like a good value here, as both teams are missing key scorers and are on the fringes of their first-round rotation.

Raptors vs Nuggets trend

The Nuggets have reached 1H Under in nine of their last 11 games at Ball Arena. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Nuggets.

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