The Toronto Raptors (45-21) and their fifth-ranked offense visit Indiana (36-31) to play the Pacers and their third-ranked defense. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 17 and will air on FxI and SNT.
The Pacers enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Celtics 103-98 on Tuesday. Paul George was the game’s high scorer with 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting. The Raptors, meanwhile, are coming off a 107-89 win against the Bucks on Tuesday. Kyle Lowry had a good performance and claimed his 11th double-double of the season, posting 25 points and 11 assists.
Over the last five games, DeMar DeRozan has been on a tear for the Raptors. During that stretch, he has averaged 27.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.8 steals.
It will be a matchup of two heavyweights, as the high-octane offense of the Raptors (fifth in the league with an offensive efficiency of 108.4) takes the court against the elite defense of the Pacers (third in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 100.6).
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Pacers had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 106-90 win. C.J. Miles was a standout player in the game, producing 17 points, four rebounds, one steal, one block, and five three-pointers.
The Pacers are hoping to build on their records of 36-31 Straight Up (SU) and 35-32 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 36-31 SU and 35-32 ATS against the Eastern Conference. If its opponents turn the ball over, Indiana has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 18.9 points off turnovers, making them the third-best team in the league for that category.
In the other locker room, the Raptors head into the game with records of 35-30-1 ATS and 45-21 SU. Toronto has records of 45-21 SU and 35-30-1 ATS against the East.
Indiana beat Toronto in their most recent meeting this season, but the Raptors still lead the head-to-head record over the last 10, 6-4 SU. With an 8-2 record, the Raptors also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
“Indiana is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana’s last 5 games “.
“Indiana is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“Indiana is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Toronto”.
“Indiana is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana’s last 6 games when playing Toronto”.
“Indiana is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Toronto”.
“Indiana is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Toronto”.
Both Toronto and Indiana rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Toronto puts up 0.0 points per game, while Indiana gives up 0.0.
Toronto and Indiana are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Toronto scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Indiana allows 0.0 points at home on average.
Indiana has a dazzling 27-5 record when it allows under 100 points this season. Toronto is 11-8 when it scores under 100.
The Indiana Pacers have an underachieving 9-26 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Toronto Raptors are 34-13 when they hit triple digits.
The Pacers have an offensive rating of 102.4 (ranked 24th). The Raptors rank 12th for their defensive rating of 103.4.
Indiana averages 99.6 possessions per game, scoring 1.024 points on each possession. While Toronto averages fewer possessions per game with 95.0, the team scores more points per possession with 1.084.
Toronto has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.5%. Indiana is an abysmal 5-20 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Indiana makes an average of 20.6 assists per game (ranked 24th), while Toronto makes 18.6 assists per game (ranked 29th).
The Indiana Pacers average 4.9 blocks per game for a rank of 16th. The Toronto Raptors rank higher (12th), earning 5.2 blocks each contest.
The Indiana Pacers rank 14th in offensive rebounding, while the Toronto Raptors rank 20th in defensive rebounding.
Making 9.0 steals per game, Indiana is ranked fourth in the NBA. Toronto has an exceptional 11-3 record when it allows at least 9 steals.
