The Denver Nuggets (6-13) will try to put an end to their eight-game skid when they meet the Toronto Raptors (12-7) at the Air Canada Centre. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday, Dec. 3 and can be seen on AL2 and SNT.
The Raptors enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Hawks 96-86 on Wednesday. Kyle Lowry was the game’s leading scorer with 31 points on 9-for-17 shooting. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 99-90 loss against the Bulls on Wednesday. Will Barton led the team in scoring with 16 points.
This one isn’t expected to be close when the Raptors, a substantial nine-point favorite, take on the Nuggets. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 199 points. The Raptors have gone 12-7 Straight Up (SU) and 12-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 5-4 SU and 6-2-1 ATS against the Western Conference. The Raptors are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .794 from the free throw line. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Raptors. The 95.8 points that Toronto’s defense allows per game makes them the fifth-ranked defense in the league.
In the other locker room, the Nuggets have a record of 8-10-1 ATS and 6-13 SU.
These two meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Toronto won the last game in the matchup, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Nuggets lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor, ATS Winner – Tor, O/U – Under
Notes
Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto’s last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto’s last 7 games at home.
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Toronto is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games when playing Denver.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto’s last 6 games when playing Denver.
Toronto is 6-16 SU in its last 22 games when playing Denver.
Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Denver.
Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Denver.
Toronto puts up an average of 100.0 points per game (ranked 17th). Denver ranks 22nd in points allowed per game with 102.8.
On average, Toronto scores 104.3 points per home game (ranked sixth). Denver ranks 18th in points allowed per road game with 102.5.
Toronto has a 10-3 record when opponents score fewer than 100 points. Denver has yet to win a game in which it puts up fewer than 100 (0-10).
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Raptors are just 2-4 this season. Denver is a solid 6-3 when it hits the century mark.
The Nuggets have a defensive rating of 105.0 (ranked 25th). The Raptors rank sixth for their offensive rating of 104.0.
Toronto averages fewer possessions per game than Denver, with 96.1 compared to 97.8. However, the Raptors score an average of 1.040 points per possession, more than the .983 that the Nuggets score.
Toronto has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.6%. Denver is a subpar 3-10 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Denver Nuggets make 21.5 assists per game and the Toronto Raptors make 17.8. Denver is ranked 15th, while Toronto is ranked 30th.
The Toronto Raptors average 4.2 blocks per game for a rank of 24th. The Denver Nuggets rank higher (14th), earning 5.0 blocks each contest.
The Toronto Raptors rank 12th in offensive rebounding, while the Denver Nuggets rank 24th in defensive rebounding.
The Toronto Raptors average 8.9 steals per game (ranked ninth). The Denver Nuggets have a losing record of 4-7 when they allow at least 8 steals.
