The fifth-ranked offense of the Toronto Raptors (56-26) welcomes the third-ranked defense of the Indiana Pacers (45-37) in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarlerfinals. The game gets underway at 12:30 pm ET on Saturday, Apr. 16 and will air on ESP and TOR.
The Raptors enter this game hoping for similar success after beating the Nets 103-96 on Wednesday. Norman Powell was the game’s leading scorer with 30 points on 12-for-18 shooting. The Pacers, meanwhile, are coming off a 97-92 win against the Bucks on Wednesday. Solomon Hill led the game in scoring by accumulating 25 points on 8-for-15 shooting.
This showdown pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Toronto currently ranks fifth in the NBA in offensive efficiency and Indiana is third in defensive efficiency.
The Raptors come into this game 56-26 Straight Up (SU) and 44-37-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 56-26 SU and 44-37-1 ATS against the Eastern Conference. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Toronto’s stingy defense. The Raptors are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 98.2 points per game.
On the other side, the Pacers head into the game with records of 42-40 ATS and 45-37 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Indiana has gone 45-37 SU and 42-40 ATS. Indiana is the best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 18.9 per game.
Toronto beat Indiana in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record to 8-2 over the Pacers in the last 10 games. Furthermore, the Raptors hold the advantage ATS with a record of 9-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
“Toronto is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games “.
“Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto’s last 6 games “.
“Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Toronto is 21-3 SU in its last 24 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 5 games at home”.
“Toronto is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Indiana”.
“Toronto is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Indiana”.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto’s last 8 games when playing Indiana”.
“Toronto is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana”.
Indiana ranks 17th in points per game with 102.2, while Toronto ranks third in points allowed with an average of 98.2 given up.
Indiana ranks 14th in points per away game with 101.4 points, while Toronto ranks sixth in points allowed at home with 98.4.
The Indiana Pacers have an outstanding 32-6 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Toronto Raptors are 14-11 when they score less than 100.
The Indiana Pacers have an underachieving 13-31 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Toronto Raptors are 42-15 when they hit the century mark.
The Pacers have an offensive rating of 102.9 (ranked 23rd), while the Raptors rank 10th for their defensive rating of 103.3.
The Toronto Raptors average a field goal percentage of 45.1% this season. The Indiana Pacers have a losing record of 9-22 when opponents have a FG% of 45.1% or greater.
Toronto averages 23.0 three point attempts per game, and Indiana attempts 23.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Raptors have a solid 22-11 record while the Pacers have a 19-15 record.
The Toronto Raptors, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.55, rank 21st in the NBA. The Indiana Pacers have a lower A/TO (1.48), ranking 25th.
The Raptors rank 16th in rebounds per game with 43.4, while the Pacers rank 12th with 44.2 per game.
Toronto is ranked 18th in defensive rebounds, while Indiana ranks 17th in offensive rebounds.
Though Toronto is one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TOV% of 13.5% (ranked 10th), Indiana has a winning 30-18 record SU when its TOV% is 13.5% or greater.
