The fifth-ranked offense of the Toronto Raptors (52-26) welcomes the third-ranked defense of the Indiana Pacers (42-36). The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 8 and will air on FxI and SNT.
The Raptors lost to the Hawks 95-87 on Thursday. Jonas Valanciunas played well for Toronto, contributing 13 points, eight rebounds, and one block. The Pacers, meanwhile, are coming off a 123-109 win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday. Paul George led the game in scoring with 29 points on 10-for-17 shooting.
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength, as the high-octane offense of Toronto (fifth in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 107.8) takes on the top-notch defense of Indiana (third in the league with a defensive efficiency of 100.8).
The Raptors have won two out of three against the Pacers this season, including a 101-94 victory in their last matchup. Bismack Biyombo put up 16 points and 25 rebounds.
The Raptors are attempting to build on their records of 52-26 Straight Up (SU) and 41-36-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 52-26 SU and 41-36-1 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Toronto defense has been very good, only giving up 98.4 points per game.
On the other side, Indiana has a SU record of 42-36 and an ATS record of 39-39. Indiana has records of 42-36 SU and 39-39 ATS against the East. Indiana makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, leading the league in points off turnovers with an average of 19.0 per game.
With the Raptors’ last win against Indiana, their SU record against the Pacers moves to 7-3 over the last 10 meetings. The Raptors also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 9-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
“Toronto is 17-7-1 SU in its last 25 games “.
“Toronto is 19-3 SU in its last 22 games at home”.
“Toronto is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Indiana”.
“Toronto is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Indiana”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto’s last 7 games when playing Indiana”.
“Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana”.
“Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana”.
Toronto scores an average of 102.5 points per game (ranked 14th), while Indiana allows 100.5 points per game (ranked eighth).
On average, Toronto puts up 104.4 points per home game (ranked 15th), while Indiana gives up 102.1 points per away game (ranked 10th).
The Toronto Raptors have a winning record (41-5) when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Indiana Pacers are 14-19 when they don’t hit triple digits.
The Toronto Raptors have a poor 11-21 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Indiana Pacers are 28-17 when they hit triple digits.
The Pacers have a defensive rating of 100.8, third-best in the NBA. The Raptors also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 107.8 (ranked fifth).
The Indiana Pacers average 99.3 possessions per game and 1.026 points per possession. The Toronto Raptors earn fewer possessions with 95.1, but they score more points with 1.078.
Toronto has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.1%. Indiana is a subpar 7-23 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Indiana Pacers make 20.9 assists per game and the Toronto Raptors make 18.6. Indiana is ranked 23rd, while Toronto is ranked 29th.
The Toronto Raptors average 5.4 blocks per game for a rank of 11th. The Indiana Pacers rank lower (16th), earning 4.8 blocks each game.
Toronto is ranked 19th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Indiana ranks ninth in defensive rebounds.
The Indiana Pacers rank third in steals, with an average of 9.1 per game. When the Toronto Raptors allow at least 9 steals, they have a stellar 13-4 record.
