The Toronto Raptors (42-20) welcome the Atlanta Hawks (36-28) in a matchup that pits the fourth-ranked offense against the second-ranked defense. Action starts at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10 and will air on FxS and TS2.
The Raptors defeated the Nets 104-99 on Tuesday. DeMar DeRozan was the team’s leading scorer with 25 points on 8-for-18 shooting. The Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 91-84 win over the Jazz on Tuesday. Jeff Teague led the game in scoring by posting 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting.
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength, as the prolific offense of Toronto (fourth in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 108.2) takes on the elite defense of Atlanta (second in the league with a defensive efficiency of 99.8).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Raptors winning the first matchup 96-86. In the victory, Kyle Lowry led all scorers on the team with 31 points.
The Raptors have gone 42-20 Straight Up (SU) and 32-29-1 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 7-3 ATS.
Over on the other bench, the Hawks head into the game with records of 32-30-2 ATS and 36-28 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Atlanta has gone 36-28 SU and 32-30-2 ATS. A large part of Atlanta’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 19.3 points per game off turnovers, which ranks first in the league.
In their previous meeting this season, Toronto beat Atlanta, bumping its SU record to 7-3 over the Hawks in their last 10 meetings. With a 7-3 record, the Raptors also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
Atlanta scores 102.2 points per game (ranked 15th), but Toronto typically gives up only 98.3 points per game (ranked fifth).
Atlanta averages 101.4 points per away game (ranked 11th). However, Toronto has allowed an average of just 97.8 points per home game (ranked fourth).
Atlanta has a solid 25-9 record when it allows under 100 points this season. Toronto is 11-8 when it puts up under 100.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Hawks are just 11-19 this season. Toronto is a winning 31-12 when registering triple digits.
The Hawks have an offensive rating of 103.2 (ranked 18th), while the Raptors rank 13th for their defensive rating of 103.4.
The Atlanta Hawks have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking ninth in the league with a FG% of 45.9%. When their opponents have a similar or higher FG%, the Toronto Raptors are 12-15.
On average, the Toronto Raptors attempt 23.0 three point field goals per game and the Atlanta Hawks attempt 27.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Toronto has a solid 16-10 record, while Atlanta is 19-23.
The Toronto Raptors rank 21st with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.50. The Atlanta Hawks have a higher A/TO (1.72), ranking eighth.
The Atlanta Hawks are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 41.8 per game. Ranked 20th, the Toronto Raptors average 42.9 rebounds.
Toronto is ranked 20th in defensive rebounds, while Atlanta ranks 30th in offensive rebounds.
On average, the Hawks force a turnover rate of 15.9%, ranked third in the NBA. When the Raptors turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has an exceptional 13-3 record.
