The Charlotte Hornets (33-48) close out the regular season on the road at the Air Canada Centre when they square off with the Toronto Raptors (48-32). The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 15 and will air on ESPN and TSN.
The Raptors won a close one over the Heat 107-104 on Saturday. Lou Williams was the team’s high scorer with 29 points on 9-for-18 shooting. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 100-90 loss to the Rockets on Monday. Bismack Biyombo posted nine points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks.
Over the last five games, DeMar DeRozan has been playing at a high level for the Raptors. During that stretch, he has averaged 27.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 0.8 three-pointers.
Toronto should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. They rank third in the NBA at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 12.6%). Meanwhile, the Hornets force the fourth-fewest turnovers in the league (12.5%).
The Hornets have won two out of three against the Raptors this season, but dropped their most recent game, a 92-74 blowout. DeRozan was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Raptors look to build on their records of 48-32 Straight Up (SU) and 37-42-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Even though they have a 10-15 record ATS, they are 15-10 at home against Eastern Conference opponents. The Raptors are an impressive shooting team from the line with a .787 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Toronto has given up very few turnovers with only an average of 12.1 per game.
On the other side, Charlotte has a SU record of 33-48 and an ATS record of 38-41-2. Charlotte has a record of 25-26 SU and 25-24-2 ATS against the East. The Hornets rarely make the wrong play with the ball. They have the fifth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.81.
Following the Raptors’ latest win over Charlotte, Toronto is still behind in the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 3-7 SU. Additionally, with a 6-4 record, the Hornets have the advantage ATS. Toronto held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times in the last 10, while Charlotte wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, ATS Winner – TOR
Notes
On average, Charlotte scores 94.2 points per game (ranked 28th), while Toronto gives up 101.2 points per game (ranked 21st).
Charlotte ranks 27th in points per away game with 93.5 points, while Toronto ranks 17th in points allowed at home with 98.7.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the Charlotte Hornets have a 26-18 record. When scoring fewer than 100 points, the Toronto Raptors have a poor record of 10-17.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Hornets are just 7-30 this season. Toronto is a solid 38-15 when registering triple digits.
The Hornets have an offensive rating of 97.5 (ranked 28th), while the Raptors rank 24th for their defensive rating of 104.8.
Toronto has an average field goal percentage of 45.5%. Charlotte is an abysmal 5-25 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Toronto attempts 25.0 three pointers and Charlotte attempts 18.9 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Raptors have a 27-19 record while the Hornets have an underachieving 2-6 record.
Charlotte ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.81 (ranked fifth). Toronto is ranked 10th, with an A/TO of 1.71 this season.
Toronto ranks 26th in rebounds per game with 41.6, while Charlotte ranks 10th with 44.2 per game.
Toronto is ranked 27th in defensive rebounds, while Charlotte ranks 25th in offensive rebounds.
Charlotte has forced an average turnover rate of 12.5% this season. In games where their turnover rate is 12.5% or higher, Toronto is an even 19-19.
