The Toronto Raptors will travel to the Toyota Center to play the Houston Rockets. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 25 and will air on RSW and SNT.
The Rockets lost a winnable game to the Jazz 89-87 on Wednesday. James Harden played well in the loss for Houston, recording 26 points and 10 assists to earn his 21st double-double of the season. The Raptors, meanwhile, are coming off a 91-79 loss at the hands of the Celtics on Wednesday. DeMar DeRozan had a team-high 21 points.
This game should be a matchup of contrasting styles. The Rockets (ranked fourth in the league in possessions per game) prefer an up-tempo style of play, while the Raptors (29th) are slow-paced. Also, the Raptors commit the fourth-fewest errors in the NBA (turnover percentage of 12.8%), while the gambling defense of the Rockets causes the second-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 15.9%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Rockets won the first game 113-107. Harden recorded a double-double with 40 points and 14 assists.
The Rockets are looking to improve on their records of 35-37 Straight Up (SU) and 30-41-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Even though they have a 13-22 record ATS, they are at home against Eastern Conference opponents. The Rockets are an impressive three-point shooting team with 10.0 made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA. The most recent 10 game stretch for the Rockets has gone great. Over that span, Houston’s opponents are averaging 98.6 points per game, well under their season average of 106.8. Something to watch out for is if Houston can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 18.8 points off turnovers per game.
On the other side, the Raptors head into the game with records of 37-32-1 ATS and 48-22 SU. Toronto has records of 48-22 SU and 37-32-1 ATS against the West. Toronto is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, hitting .367 of their shots from three-point range. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Raptors on the defensive end. They allowed 105.7 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 98.2. The Raptors are in for a physical game against Houston. The Rockets are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 22.6 fouls per game.
Houston won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record to 6-4 over the Raptors in the last 10 games. However, with a 6-3-1 record, the Raptors have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
“Houston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Houston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games “.
“Houston is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 12 of Houston’s last 18 games at home”.
“Houston is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Toronto”.
“Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto”.
“The total has gone OVER in 12 of Houston’s last 18 games when playing at home against Toronto”.
Toronto ranks 15th in points per game with 102.7, while Houston ranks 27th in points allowed with an average of 106.8 given up.
Houston ranks 24th in points allowed per home game (104.3 PPG), while Toronto ranks 16th in points per away game with 100.5.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Raptors are 37-4 on the season. When the Rockets score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 2-16.
The Toronto Raptors have a losing 11-18 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Houston Rockets are 33-21 when they hit the century mark.
The Rockets have a defensive rating of 106.8 (ranked 23rd), while the Raptors rank fifth for their offensive rating of 108.0.
Toronto has an average field goal percentage of 45.0%. Houston is a subpar 18-30 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Houston Rockets rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (seventh) than they do for their field goal percentage (15th). The Toronto Raptors rank 13th for both their FG% and EFF%.
Houston makes an average of 21.9 assists per game (ranked 17th), while Toronto makes 18.4 assists per game (ranked 29th).
The Houston Rockets average 5.1 blocks per game for a rank of 14th. The Toronto Raptors rank higher (11th), earning 5.3 blocks each contest.
The Houston Rockets rank sixth in offensive rebounding, while the Toronto Raptors rank 20th in defensive rebounding.
The Houston Rockets rank first in steals, with an average of 10.2 per game. When the Toronto Raptors allow at least 10 steals, they have an outstanding 6-1 record.
