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The Toronto Raptors visit the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center on Thursday night.
The Toronto Raptors ended their longest losing streak of the season with a road victory against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. The Raptors now have a 1.5 games lead over the Boston Celtics in the Atlantic Division after the Celtics lost to the Nets on Tuesday. The Warriors are having a terrible season but Golden State stunned the Denver Nuggets in their last outing to pick up only their second win in their last 11 games played.
Raptors End Three-Game Skid
The Toronto Raptors ended a three-game losing skid with a 123-114 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. Toronto trailed by 17 points in the second quarter and was seven points down at the half but rallied to win the game and end their longest losing streak of the season.
2019 Most Improved Player winner Pascal Siakam led Toronto with 33 points, including 12 in the third quarter, on 12-20 shooting from the field and had seven rebounds. Kyle Lowry added 28 points while Norman Powell contributed 26 points. Chris Boucher provided the bench support with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
The Raptors are the best defensive team in the league at 106.6 points per game allowed. They are ranked 11th in the league in scoring at 113.0 points per game this season. Toronto is 13th in rebounding at 45.3 boards hauled per contest and is 12th in passing at 25.4 assists per game.
Warriors Stun Nuggets
The Golden State Warriors stunned the Denver Nuggets 116-100 on Tuesday night at the Nuggets’ Pepsi Center. Trailing 65-77 with 5:08 left in the third period, Golden State went on a 43-15 run to take control of the game and win for only the second time in their last 11 assignments.
Eric Paschall scored nine of his 22 points in the final quarter while Andrew Wiggins posted a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Dragan Bender scored 14 points in the final day of his 10-day contract as Golden State played minus Draymond Green who has a sore left knee and Kevon Looney who has left knee soreness.
The Dubs rank 27th in the NBA in scoring at 106.0 points per game this season. They are 24th in scoring defense at 114.7 points per game allowed. Golden State ranks 23rd in rebounding at 43.0 boards grabbed per contest and they are also 11th in assists at 25.4 dimes per outing.
Who Wins?
Toronto is 16-4 SU in their last 20 games played. The Raptors are 11-2 SU in their last 13 games played on the road, and 16-4 SU in their last 20 games played against the Pacific Division. Golden State is 2-9 SU in their last 11 games played. The Warriors are 0-7 SU in their last seven games played at home, 0-6 SU in their last six games played against the Atlantic Division, and 4-13 SU in their last 17 games against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, the Raptors are 6-2 SU in their last eight games played against the Warriors.
The Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak with a big offensive performance against the Phoenix Suns. The Raptors got a big lift from Chirs Boucher who had 19 points and 15 rebounds in 29 minutes. If Toronto gets the same contribution from Boucher or other players on the bench, then things will be easier for Siakam and Lowry.
Golden State stunned the Denver Nuggets as 16-point underdogs. Eric Paschall and Marquise Chriss have fit well as role players and the Andrew Wiggins experiment has looked good so far. The Dubs are depleted and undermanned but they are a team that competes on a game to game basis.
Toronto is playing its third game in five nights and while fatigue might be a factor, I think the Raptors are going to go all out here with the Boston Celtics threatening them in the Atlantic Division. This is a winnable game for the Raptors and Nick Nurse won’t take any chances. I think the Raptors win comfortably here.
Prediction: Toronto Raptors
Other Bets to Make
The Raptors are 34-27 ATS in 61 games played this season. Toronto is 15-14 ATS in 29 road games played this season, and 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against the Western Conference. The Warriors are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played. Golden State is 0-6 ATS in their last six games played at home. Head to head, the Raptors are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Warriors. Toronto is 5-0 ATS in their last five road games against Golden State.
Raptors
-10.5 (-110)
Warriors
+10.5(-110)
Odds from SportsBettingas of 03/04/20
The Warriors are coming off a huge win over the Denver Nuggets and while that was impressive, I’m not sure if they can sustain that performance. The Dubs haven’t been a consistent team all season long and they are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games played after scoring 100 or more points in their previous game. The Raptors are missing key starters here but we saw what they can do with a depleted lineup in their last game against Phoenix. I think Toronto blows the game open early.
Prediction: Raptors -10.5
The total has gone under in five out of the last seven games played by the Raptors. Toronto has seen the total go over in three out of their last four road games. The over is also 13-5 in Toronto’s last 18 games played in March. The total has gone under in five out of the last six games played by the Warriors. The under is 4-3 in Golden State’s last seven home games, and 13-4 in their last 17 games played in March. Head to head, the total has gone over in 13 out of the last 20 meetings between the Raptors and Warriors.
Over
226 (-110)
Under
226 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 03/04/20
The Warriors have been terrible on defense this season, ranking 25th in defensive rating. They have also allowed 114.7 points per game this season, 24th overall in the league. Since January 18th, the Dubs’ defense has even been worse at Chase Center. They have allowed 122 points per game at home during that timeframe. Toronto meanwhile has scored 119 or more points in their last 8 wins and even without VanVleet, Ibaka, and Gasol, they have more than enough capable scorers who can help push the total to over 226 points.
Prediction: Over 226
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