The Toronto Raptors (12-8) will try to slow down the league’s top scoring team when they take on the Golden State Warriors (20-0) at the Air Canada Centre. The game gets underway at 5:00 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 5 and will air on GS2 and TS2.
The Raptors lost a winnable game to the Nuggets 106-105 on Thursday. DeMar DeRozan finished with 34 points to lead the game. The Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off a 116-99 win over the Hornets on Wednesday. Stephen Curry led the game in scoring with 40 points on 14-for-18 shooting.
It will be a tale of two tempos, as the fast-breaking Warriors (ranked fifth in the league in possessions per game) take on the slow-paced Raptors (26th).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Warriors won the first game 115-110. Curry scored a game-high 37 points.
The Raptors, a seven-point underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Golden State. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 206 points. The Raptors enter the game with records of 12-8 Straight Up (SU) and 12-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 5-5 SU and 6-3-1 ATS versus the Western Conference. Toronto has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 21 made free throws per game, which is second-best in the NBA.
On the other side, the Warriors head into the game with records of 13-6-1 ATS and 20-0 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Golden State has gone 5-0 SU and 3-2 ATS. They sport the top-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 117.7 points per game. Golden State is the top three-point shooting team in the league, hitting 267 shots from three-point range (13.0 per game). The Warriors are the best team in the league at finding the open man with an average of 29.4 assists per game. Switching gears to Golden State’s defense, it averages 6.5 blocks per game, good for fifth in the league. Golden State makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking fourth in points off turnovers with an average of 18.8 per game.
With the Warriors’ last win against Toronto, their SU record against the Raptors moves to 8-2 over the last 10 meetings. Additionally, with a 7-3 record, the Warriors have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS, O/U – Under
Notes
Toronto is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Toronto’s last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 5 games at home.
Toronto is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Golden State.
Toronto is 3-13 ATS in its last 16 games when playing Golden State.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto’s last 7 games when playing Golden State.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto’s last 6 games when playing at home against Golden State.
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Golden State.
Toronto is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Golden State.
Toronto has allowed an average of 96.3 points per game this season. Golden State averages 115.3 points per game, placing the team at the top of the NBA in scoring.
Toronto gives up 98.6 points at home this season. Topping the league in road scoring, Golden State puts up 117.7 points in away games.
When Toronto allows at least 100 points, the team has a poor 2-5 record. In games where it hits triple digits, Golden State has a perfect 20-0 record.
Toronto’s offense and Golden State’s defense both rank sixth this season. Toronto has an offensive rating of 104.2 and Golden State has a defensive rating of 97.7.
Golden State beats Toronto in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Warriors average 101.0 possessions and 1.142 points per possession, while the Raptors average 96.2 possessions with 1.042 points per possession.
Ranked first in the NBA, Golden State has an average effective field goal percentage of 57.0%. Toronto has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-2).
Golden State ranks at the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.85. Toronto ranks 25th with an A/TO of 1.31.
The Toronto Raptors rebound 44.8 times per game and are ranked 11th. Ranked sixth, the Golden State Warriors rebound 46.4 times per game.
Toronto is ranked 13th in defensive rebounds, while Golden State ranks 11th in offensive rebounds.
The Toronto Raptors’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 14.8% this season. The Golden State Warriors are undefeated this season (13-0) when their TOV% is 14.8% or higher.
