The Portland Trail Blazers will travel to the Air Canada Centre to take on the Toronto Raptors. Action gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 4 and will air on CNW and TSN.
The Raptors were victorious over the Jazz 104-94 on Wednesday. Kyle Lowry was the game’s leading scorer with 32 points on 13-for-20 shooting. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are coming off a demoralizing 116-93 loss against the Celtics on Wednesday. Mason Plumlee had a good game for Portland, accounting for nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
Over the last five games, Lowry has been playing at a high level for the Raptors, averaging 29.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.5 three-pointers.
Toronto should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. They rank fourth in the NBA at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 12.9%). Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers force the fifth-fewest turnovers in the league (12.8%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Raptors won the first game 110-103. In the loss, Damian Lillard had a double-double with 27 points and 11 assists.
The Raptors look to build on their records of 40-19 Straight Up (SU) and 32-26-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. The Raptors have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 110.8 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 102.4 points per game. The Raptors are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a superb .366 from beyond the arc. 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 96.6 points per home game. Toronto is very careful and attentive with the ball, averaging the fewest turnovers per game at only 12.3.
Across the court, the Trail Blazers have a record of 35-27 ATS and 33-29 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Portland is 33-29 SU and 35-27 ATS. The Trail Blazers are shooting very well so far with a .362 three-point field-goal percentage that ranks fifth in the NBA. Portland is one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA. The Trail Blazers average 45.9 rebounds per game, making them the fifth-best team in the league for that category.
In their previous meeting this season, Toronto beat Portland, but the win was not enough to overtake Portland in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 2-8 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. With a 7-3 record, the Trail Blazers also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
“Toronto is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 5 games “.
“Toronto is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games at home”.
“Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“Toronto is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Portland”.
“Toronto is 2-12 SU in its last 14 games when playing Portland”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 5 games when playing Portland”.
“Toronto is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Portland”.
“Toronto is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Portland”.
Toronto puts up an average of 102.4 points per game (ranked 13th). Portland ranks 15th in points allowed per game with 102.3.
Toronto ranks 15th in points per home game with 103.9 points, while Portland ranks 12th in points allowed on the road with 102.0.
In its last game, Portland lost by a 23-point margin. Toronto is 7-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Portland has a 7-5 record in blowouts.
The Portland Trail Blazers have a stellar 18-4 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Toronto Raptors are 11-8 when they score less than 100.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Trail Blazers are just 15-25 this season. Toronto is a winning 29-11 when registering triple digits.
The Raptors have a defensive rating of 102.9 (ranked 11th), while the Trail Blazers rank seventh for their offensive rating of 105.7.
The Toronto Raptors average a field goal percentage of 45.1% this season. The Portland Trail Blazers have a subpar record of 9-18 when opponents have a FG% of 45.1% or greater.
Toronto averages 23.0 three point attempts per game, and Portland attempts 28.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Raptors have a solid 16-9 record while the Trail Blazers have a 26-20 record.
The Toronto Raptors, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.51, rank 21st in the NBA. The Portland Trail Blazers have a lower A/TO (1.50), ranking 22nd.
The Toronto Raptors rank 20th in offensive rebounding, while the Portland Trail Blazers rank eighth in defensive rebounding.
Making .0 steals per game, Portland is ranked first in the NBA. Toronto has a solid 40-19 record when it allows at least steals.
