The Toronto Raptors (13-9) welcome the San Antonio Spurs (18-4) in a matchup that pits the third-ranked offense against the first-ranked defense. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Dec. 9 and will air on FSW and TSN.
The Raptors were victorious over the Lakers 102-93 on Monday. Kyle Lowry led all scorers on the team with 27 points on 9-for-19 shooting. The Spurs, meanwhile, are coming off a 119-68 win over the 76ers on Monday. LaMarcus Aldridge led the game in scoring with 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting.
Over the last five games, Lowry has been playing at a high level for the Raptors. During that stretch, he has averaged 26.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 4.0 three-pointers.
The game should be a battle of strength against strength, as the high-octane offense of Toronto (third in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 105.1) takes on the top-notch defense of San Antonio (first in the league with a defensive efficiency of 92.2).
The Raptors are a five-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 188 points. The Raptors are attempting to build on their records of 13-9 Straight Up (SU) and 13-8-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 6-6 SU and 7-4-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Raptors are a dangerously accurate shooting team from the line with a .797 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Transitioning to the Toronto defense, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Raptors, who allow only 96.9 points per game. Toronto is very careful and attentive with the ball, averaging the second-fewest turnovers per game at only 13.0.
Across the court, San Antonio has a SU record of 18-4 and an ATS record of 14-8. San Antonio has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. San Antonio is one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA. The Spurs average 46.6 rebounds per game, making them the fifth-best team in the league for that category. The Spurs rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.86. San Antonio’s defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, averaging an NBA-best 88.3 points allowed per game. San Antonio’s defense is one of the top in the league, with opponents shooting only .415 from the field. They average 6.1 blocks per game, good for fifth in the league.
The Raptors and the Spurs will be facing off in their first head-to-head contest of the season. When they last met the Spurs were winners, moving their SU record against the Raptors to 8-2 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Additionally, with a 5-4-1 record, the Spurs have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – SA, O/U – Under
Notes
Toronto is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
Toronto is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 5 games at home.
Toronto is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing San Antonio.
Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto’s last 8 games when playing San Antonio.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 5 games when playing at home against San Antonio.
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Antonio.
San Antonio ranks 19th in points per game with 100.2, while Toronto ranks fourth in points allowed with an average of 96.9 given up.
San Antonio puts up an average of 100.5 points per away game (ranked 12th). Toronto ranks 17th in points allowed per home game with 99.4.
When the Raptors give up fewer than 100 points to their opponents, they are 11-3. When the Spurs score fewer than 100 points, they also have a superb record (9-3).
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Raptors are just 2-6 this season. San Antonio is an outstanding 9-1 when it hits the century mark.
The Spurs have the best defense in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 92.2. The Raptors’s offense ranks a solid third, with an offensive rating of 105.1.
On average, Toronto has 95.8 possessions per game and scores 1.051 points on each possession. San Antonio has both fewer possessions (95.4) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.050).
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking second in the league with an EFF% of 51.7%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Toronto Raptors have an underachieving 3-5 record.
The Toronto Raptors average 22.0 three point attempts per game, while the San Antonio Spurs attempt 18.0 per game. When attempting 25 or more three pointers in a game, Toronto is 6-3 while San Antonio is undefeated (1-0).
The Toronto Raptors rank 19th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.39. The San Antonio Spurs have a higher A/TO (1.86), ranking second.
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 46.6 rebounds per game (ranked fifth). The Toronto Raptors rank 16th, rebounding 44.2 times each contest.
The San Antonio Spurs rank 23rd in offensive rebounding, while the Toronto Raptors rank 15th in defensive rebounding.
The Toronto Raptors’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 14.8% this season. The San Antonio Spurs have a formidable 8-1 record when their TOV% is 14.8% or higher.
