The Toronto Raptors travel to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers in a Friday showdown at the Moda Center.
The Raptors head to this game with a two game winning streak and a 3-2 SU record SU in their last five games. The Blazers meanwhile enter this contest having lost two in a row and three out of their last five games.
Kawhi Leonard has been the catalyst for the Raptors’ strong season. The Klaw leads the team with 26.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Kyle Lowry is Toronto’s best passer at 10.0 assists per game but he is only scoring 14.2 points per game. Serge Ibaka, who leads the team in blocks at 1.4 blocks per game, is the team’s second best leading scorer at 16.8 points per game.
Toronto has the 4th best scoring average in the league at 115.6 points per game. The Raptors are ranked 8th in assists at 25.5 dimes per contest. Toronto is also the 12th best rebounding team in the nation at 45.8 boards per outing. The Raptors own the 7th best scoring defense in the NBA, allowing just 107.0 points per game.
It’s always been Dame Time for the Blazers as Damian Lillard leads the team in scoring and assists at 27.0 PPG and 6.1 APG, respectively. Lillard’s backcourt mate C.J. McCollum is also scoring 22.0 points per game. Jusuf Nurkic leads the team in rebounding at 105 boards per game while also averaging a team-high 1.3 blocks per game.
The Blazers are the 13th best scoring team in the NBA at 111.0 points per game. Portland is also second in rebounding at 49.1 per game. However, the Blazers only rank 28th in assists at 20.7 helpers per outing. Portland also allows its opponents to score 109.8 points per game, 13th in the NBA.
These squads have faced each other a total of 43 times during the regular season with Portland leading the all-time series 27-16. Toronto has won the last six meetings between these teams. The Raptors are 11-3 SU in their last 14 games. Toronto is 7-1 SU n their last 8 games on the road. The Blazers are 3-8 SU in their last 11 games and 7-2 SU in their last 9 game at home. Head to head, the Raptors are 5-0 SU in their last five games against the Blazers. Toronto though is 4-11 SU in their last 15 road game versus Portland.
Injuries could play a big role in determining the outcome of this game. Toronto big man Jonas Valanciunas is out of this game with an injured thumb. He recently underwent surgery to repair a dislocated left thumb and will miss at least four weeks of action to recuperate. Likewise, Kawhi Leonard is listed as day to day aend questionable for this game with a hip injury. Leonard has missed the Raptors last two game but they have won both games.
Without Leonard, Kyle Lowry took over with 23 points and 12 assists as the league leading Raptors took care of business against the defending champions Golden State Warriors, dealing the Dubs a 113-93 drubbing last Wednesday. Prior to that game Lowry had shot just 4-28 from the floor in his last four games played.
While the Raptors are winning without Kawhi, the Blazers have been reeling since a 10-3 start. Portland has lost 10 of 15 games including back to back losses to Houston and Memphis. Portland’s scoring defense is good but the Raptors’ scoring is better. Even without Leonard, the Toronto offense is fluid especially with Lowry finding his mark.
Between Portland’s inconsistency and the Raptors possibly playing without Kawhi Leonard, I’m rolling with the Raptors here. We’re picking the Toronto Raptors to beat the Portland Trail Blazers on 12/14/18.
Toronto is 14-15-1 ATS on the season and the Raptors are 4-2 ATS in their last six games on the road. Portland is 2-10 ATS in their last dozen games played. The Blazers are also 6-3 ATS in their last nine games played at home. Head to head, Toronto is 4-2 ATS in their last six games against Portland and the Raptors are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games against the Blazers.
Toronto is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games against teams with a winning record of .600 or higher. The Blazers meanwhile are 0-6 in their last six games against teams with a winning SU record. With Kyle Lowry finding his mark and ending his shooting slump, I like the Raptors to win this game and cover the spread. Prediction: Raptors -3.5
The total has gone under in six out of the Raptors’ last seven games played. The under is also 5-0 in the last five games of Portland. The total has gone under in eight out of the last 10 games for the Blazers. Head to head, the total has gone under in five out of the last six road games of Toronto against Portland.
Toronto is the 4th highest scoring team in the league while Portland is at #13. The over is 35-17-1 in the Raptors last 53 games against Northwest Division teams. The over is also 13-5 in Toronto’s last 18 games against teams with a winning SU record. As for Portland, we know what their back court is one of the most explosive scoring tandems in the league. Prediction: Over 217
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