The fifth-ranked offense of the Toronto Raptors (49-24) welcomes the second-ranked defense of the Atlanta Hawks (45-30). The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 30 and can be seen on NBA, FxS and TSN.
The Raptors lost big to the Thunder 119-100 on Monday. Norman Powell played well for Toronto, contributing 18 points, four rebounds, and two blocks. The Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 102-100 win over the Bulls on Monday. Jeff Teague was the game’s top scorer, posting 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting.
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength, as the high-powered offense of Toronto (fifth in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 108.1) takes on the stingy defense of Atlanta (second in the league with a defensive efficiency of 99.5).
The Raptors have emerged victorious in both contests against the Hawks this year, including a 104-96 victory in their last matchup. DeMar DeRozan was the game’s leading scorer with 30 points.
The Raptors are looking to build on their records of 49-24 Straight Up (SU) and 38-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (7-3).
On the other side, the Hawks have a record of 39-34-2 ATS and 45-30 SU. Atlanta has records of 45-30 SU and 39-34-2 ATS against the East. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Hawks, who are the top team in the league in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .432. A large part of Atlanta’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 18.8 points per game off turnovers, which ranks first in the league.
Toronto beat Atlanta in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record to 7-3 over the Hawks in their last 10 meetings. Furthermore, with a 7-3 record, the Raptors have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
Atlanta scores 102.9 points per game (ranked 13th), but Toronto typically allows only 98.5 points per game (ranked fifth).
Atlanta puts up an average of 102.5 points per away game (ranked ninth), while Toronto gives up 98.7 points per home game (ranked eighth).
In its last game, Atlanta won by a margin of two points. Toronto is 6-6 in games decided by three points or less. Atlanta has a 5-6 record in close games.
The Atlanta Hawks have a fantastic 31-9 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Toronto Raptors are 11-9 when they score less than 100.
Atlanta is 14-21 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Raptors have a solid 38-15 record when hitting triple digits.
The Hawks have an offensive rating of 103.9 (ranked 17th), while the Raptors rank 12th for their defensive rating of 103.4.
Ranked 10th in the NBA, Atlanta has an average field goal percentage of 46.0%. Toronto is 13-18 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Atlanta Hawks rank lower for their field goal percentage (10th) than their effective field goal percentage (sixth), while the Toronto Raptors rank the same for both metrics (13th).
Atlanta, the second-ranked team in terms of assists, makes an average of 25.7 per game. Toronto ranks lower at 29th with 18.5.
Toronto makes an average of 5.4 blocks per game (ranked 11th). Atlanta ranks higher in blocks with 5.8 (ranked seventh).
The Toronto Raptors rank 17th in offensive rebounding, while the Atlanta Hawks rank 14th in defensive rebounding.
Making 9.2 steals per game, Atlanta is ranked third in the NBA. Toronto has an outstanding 12-3 record when it gives up at least 9 steals.
