The San Antonio Spurs (21-17) will see the return of Kawhi Leonard on Thursday when they host the Toronto Raptors (28-11) as small home favorites at sportsbooks.

Leonard will be visiting San Antonio for the first time since he was traded to Toronto in the offseason, and the two-time NBA All-Star has helped lead his new team to one of the top records in the Western Conference, while his old team has struggled at times.

NBA point spread: The Spurs opened as 1.5-point favorites; the total is at 216.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 116.2-99.6, Spurs (NBA picks on every game)

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Why the Raptors can cover the spread

The Raptors will be going for their third straight victory here, and Leonard should be plenty motivated to beat his old teammates and coach. In his tune-up game to kick off the New Year, Leonard scored a season-high 45 points in a 122-116 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

Toronto covered the spread as a 1.5-point home favorite in that game despite playing without point guard Kyle Lowry, who has missed eight of the last nine games due to a lingering back injury. Lowry has been downgraded to out for this game as well, but the Raptors have found a way to keep winning lately without their floor general.

Why the Spurs can cover the spread

Toronto has gone just 2-7 against the spread in its last nine games, so the team has clearly not been the same without Lowry. And while the Raptors have had trouble covering the spread recently, the Spurs have gone 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games and won 10 of them.

San Antonio's offense has picked up during that stretch, with the team scoring 120 points or more in six of its last seven wins. Toronto's defense should allow that trend to continue, giving the home team an excellent chance to earn a victory and cover the spread in this spot as a small favorite.

Smart betting pick

Leonard will be the main focus of attention by the media leading up to tip-off, but bettors need to remember DeMar DeRozan was sent to the Spurs for him and will also be motivated. The Raptors deemed DeRozan expendable, and he has performed well with his new team.

In addition, San Antonio has won four of the past five meetings both straight up and ATS, so fade Toronto and wager on that trend to continue, too.

NBA betting trends

The total has gone over in four of Toronto's last six games.

Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last five games.

San Antonio is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games.

All NBA odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.