The Oklahoma City Thunder (34-28) take on the visiting Toronto Raptors (38-24) at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 8 and will air on TSN2 and FSN-OK.
The Thunder lost a tough one against the Bulls 108-105 on Thursday. Russell Westbrook was the game’s high scorer, contributing 43. The Raptors, meanwhile, are coming off a 103-94 loss at the hands of the Hornets on Friday. DeMar DeRozan had a good shooting night, leading the game with 30 points.
Over the last five games, Westbrook has really been playing well for the Thunder. During that stretch, he has averaged 42.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Raptors won the first game 100-88. In the loss, Serge Ibaka had a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Thunder look to build on their records of 34-28 Straight Up (SU) and 30-30-2 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games they are 7-3 ATS. Oklahoma City has averaged 110.4 points per game over the last ten weeks, higher than its season average of 102.2. Teams have a tough time keeping Oklahoma City off of the offensive glass. They rank third in the NBA in offensive rebounds. Turning to the defensive side, the Thunder are the third-best team in the league at blocking shots, averaging 6.0 blocks per game.
On the other side, the Raptors head into the game with records of 28-33-1 ATS and 38-24 SU. Toronto has been particularly bad ATS over its past ten matchups, going 2-8. Toronto is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, hitting 19.5 shots from the line per game. Toronto has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 12.3 per game.
Toronto beat Oklahoma City in their most recent meeting this season, but the Thunder still lead the head-to-head record, 6-4 SU, over the last 10 matchups. At 5-5, they are even bets ATS. Oklahoma City had the advantage in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last 10. Toronto has never had the edge in all categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, ATS Winner – TOR
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oklahoma City’s last 5 games.
Oklahoma City is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games.
Oklahoma City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Oklahoma City is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oklahoma City’s last 7 games when playing Toronto.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City’s last 6 games when playing at home against Toronto.
Oklahoma City is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Toronto.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City.
Toronto is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City has allowed an average of 99.5 points per game this season. Toronto averages 104.4 points per game, ranking the team fifth in scoring.
On average, Oklahoma City gives up 96.1 points per home game. Toronto averages 105.9 points per away game, ranking the team second in scoring.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Toronto Raptors are a superb 21-5. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a subpar record of 6-18.
Toronto is 17-19 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Thunder have a solid 28-10 record when hitting triple digits.
The Raptors have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (107.7). The Thunder are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 100.7 (ranked 10th).
Oklahoma City has an average field goal percentage of 44.4%. Toronto is 21-19 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Toronto Raptors rank lower for their field goal percentage (14th) than their effective field goal percentage (eighth), while the Oklahoma City Thunder rank the same for both metrics (18th).
Oklahoma City makes an average of 20.5 assists per game (ranked 24th). Toronto ranks higher in assists with 20.7 (ranked 21st).
Oklahoma City makes an average of 6.0 blocks per game (ranked third), while Toronto makes 4.5 blocks per game (ranked 19th).
Oklahoma City ranks third in offensive rebounding, placing the team near the top of the pack. Toronto, however, ranks 27th in defensive rebounds.
The Oklahoma City Thunder make an average of 7.2 steals per game. The Toronto Raptors are 17-15 when they allow 7 or more steals.
