The Toronto Raptors (30-15) will attempt to keep their nine-game winning streak alive when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers (21-26) at the Moda Center. The game starts at 10:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 4 and can be seen on POR and TSN.
The Trail Blazers were victorious over the Kings 112-97 in their last matchup. Mason Plumlee had a solid performance, recording 12 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks for the Trail Blazers. The Raptors, meanwhile, are coming off a 106-89 win against the Wizards in their last outing. Kyle Lowry led the game in scoring by posting 29 points on 8-for-14 shooting.
The battle on the backboards could prove decisive, pitting strength against strength. Portland is among the league’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking fourth in offensive rebound percentage at 26.6%. Meanwhile, the Raptors rank fifth in the NBA at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebound percentage of 78.2%. Also, the offense of the Raptors seems ready to earn plenty of trips to the line. They rank fourth in the NBA in free throw attempt rate (31.5), while the Trail Blazers are among the league’s most foul-happy teams (allowing a 29th-ranked mark of 31.7).
The Trail Blazers are looking to improve on their records of 24-26 Straight Up (SU) and 27-23 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. The Trail Blazers are one of the best in the NBA in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.0 shots per game from beyond the arc.
On the other side, the Raptors have 33-16 SU and 26-22-1 ATS records. Toronto has records of 10-8 SU and 9-8-1 ATS against the West. Toronto is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, hitting 20.0 shots from the line per game. Taking care of the basketball is something the Raptors do very well, averaging just 12.8 turnovers per game.
The Trail Blazers and the Raptors will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Portland came out on top, bringing its SU record to 9-1 over the Raptors in the last 10 games. Furthermore, the Trail Blazers lead the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
Portland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Portland’s last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Portland’s last 7 games at home.
Portland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Portland is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games when playing Toronto.
Portland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto.
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Portland.
Portland averages 102.1 points per game (ranked 13th). However, Toronto has allowed an average of just 97.0 points per game (ranked fifth).
Portland ranks 10th in the league with 105.0 points per home game. Toronto allows just 97.2 points per away game (ranked fourth).
Portland has a superb 12-4 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. Toronto is 9-7 when it puts up under 100.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Trail Blazers are just 9-22 this season. Toronto is a winning 21-8 when it hits the century mark.
The Raptors have a defensive rating of 101.2 (ranked ninth). The Trail Blazers rank eighth for their offensive rating of 104.6.
The Portland Trail Blazers average 97.5 possessions per game and 1.046 points per possession, while the Toronto Raptors earn fewer possessions (95.3) but more points per possession (1.063).
The Portland Trail Blazers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the league with an EFF% of 50.5%. When their opponents have a similar or higher EFF%, the Toronto Raptors are 8-10.
On average, Portland attempts 28.0 three pointers and Toronto attempts 23.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Trail Blazers are 18-17 while the Raptors have a solid 12-7 record.
Portland has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.49 this season (ranked 20th), while Toronto ranks lower at 23rd with an A/TO of 1.44.
Portland ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at fifth (46.0 per game), while Toronto ranks 12th with 43.7 per game.
The Toronto Raptors rank 20th in offensive rebounding, while the Portland Trail Blazers rank eighth in defensive rebounding.
On average, the Trail Blazers force a turnover rate of 12.4%. When the Raptors turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has an outstanding 22-5 record.
