The fifth-ranked offense of the Toronto Raptors (43-20) welcomes the fifth-ranked defense of the Miami Heat (38-27). The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 12 and will air on SUN and SNT.
The Raptors beat the Hawks 104-96 on Thursday. DeMar DeRozan led all scorers on the team with 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting. The Heat, meanwhile, are coming off a 118-96 win over the Bulls on Friday. Goran Dragic shot 10-for-16 and led in scoring with 26 points.
Over the last five games, Dragic and Luol Deng have been on a tear for the Heat. During that stretch, Dragic has averaged 19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Deng has put up 15.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers.
The game should be a battle 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 top-notch defense of Miami (fifth in the league with a defensive efficiency of 101.1).
The Raptors have won two out of three against the Heat this season, including a 101-81 blowout in their last matchup. DeRozan scored a game-high 33 points.
The Raptors are attempting to build on their records of 43-20 Straight Up (SU) and 33-29-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. Toronto has given up very few turnovers with only an average of 12.4 per game.
On the other side, the Heat head into the game with records of 35-29-1 ATS and 38-27 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Miami has gone 38-27 SU and 35-29-1 ATS. When it comes to defending the rim, the Heat are the best in the league with an average of 6.7 blocks per game.
The Raptors’ win over Miami in their last game couldn’t give them the edge in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, where the Heat still lead 6-4 SU. At 5-5, they are even ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
“Toronto is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 6 games “.
“Toronto is 14-1 SU in its last 15 games at home”.
“Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Miami”.
“Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Miami”.
“Toronto is 4-17 SU in its last 21 games when playing Miami”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto’s last 9 games when playing Miami”.
“Toronto is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Miami”.
“Toronto is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Miami”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto’s last 6 games when playing at home against Miami”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto”.
Both Miami and Toronto rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Miami puts up 0.0 points per game, while Toronto allows 0.0.
Miami and Toronto are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Miami puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Toronto allows 0.0 points at home on average.
The Toronto Raptors have a winning record (34-3) when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Miami Heat are 15-20 when they don’t hit triple digits.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Raptors are just 9-17 this season. Miami is a superb 23-7 when it hits the century mark.
Toronto’s offense and Miami’s defense both rank fifth this season. Toronto has an offensive rating of 108.1 and Miami has a defensive rating of 101.1.
The Toronto Raptors average 95.0 possessions and 1.081 points per possession in games this season. The Miami Heat average fewer possessions with 95.0, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.036.
The Toronto Raptors average an effective field goal percentage of 50.5% this season. The Miami Heat have a poor record of 10-17 when opponents have an EFF% of 50.5% or greater.
Toronto makes an average of 18.6 assists per game (ranked 28th). Miami ranks higher in assists with 20.7 (ranked 23rd).
The Miami Heat top the league in blocking, with 6.7 made per game. The Toronto Raptors average 5.1 blocks per game (ranked 13th).
Toronto is ranked 20th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Miami ranks fifth in defensive rebounds.
Miami makes an average of 6.6 steals per game. Toronto has a solid 29-10 record when it gives up at least 6 steals.
