The Toronto Raptors and their fifth-ranked offense head to Indiana to play the Pacers and their third-ranked defense in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Action starts at 12:00 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 29 and will air on TSN.
The Pacers lost a winnable game to the Raptors 102-99 on Tuesday. Paul George was the game’s high scorer, recording 39 points.
It will be a matchup of two heavyweights, as the high-powered offense of the Raptors (fifth in the league with an offensive efficiency of 107.7) takes the court against the elite defense of the Pacers (third in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 100.8).
The Pacers have gone 47-40 Straight Up (SU) and 45-42 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 47-40 SU and 45-42 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Something to watch out for is if Indiana 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 to lead the league.
On the other side, the Raptors have a record of 46-39-1 ATS and 58-28 SU. Toronto has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. The Raptors are one of the top defensive teams in the league, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 98.0 points allowed per game.
Toronto beat Indiana in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 7-3. The Raptors also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
“Indiana is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games “.
“Indiana is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Indiana’s last 7 games “.
“Indiana is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Indiana’s last 10 games at home”.
“Indiana is 4-12 ATS in its last 16 games when playing Toronto”.
“Indiana is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing Toronto”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana’s last 5 games when playing Toronto”.
“Indiana is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Toronto”.
Indiana ranks 19th in points per game with 101.7, while Toronto ranks third in points allowed with an average of 98.0 given up.
On average, Indiana scores 102.4 points per home game (ranked 21st), while Toronto allows 97.8 points per away game (ranked second).
The Toronto Raptors won their last game by a three-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, the Indiana Pacers are 9-10. Toronto is 7-6 in close games this season.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Toronto Raptors are a superb 48-5. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Indiana Pacers have a poor record of 15-23.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Raptors are just 11-23 this season. Indiana is a solid 32-17 when registering triple digits.
The Pacers have a defensive rating of 100.8, third-best in the NBA. The Raptors also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 107.7 (ranked fifth).
Toronto has an average field goal percentage of 44.8%. Indiana is a losing 10-23 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Indiana Pacers rank higher for their field goal percentage (14th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (20th). The Toronto Raptors rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (14th) than they do for their field goal percentage (18th).
Indiana makes an average of 21.1 assists per game (ranked 22nd), while Toronto makes 18.6 assists per game (ranked 29th).
Indiana makes an average of 4.8 blocks per game (ranked 17th). Toronto ranks higher in blocks with 5.4 (ranked 11th).
The Indiana Pacers rank 19th in offensive rebounding, while the Toronto Raptors rank 20th in defensive rebounding.
The Indiana Pacers rank fourth in steals, with an average of 8.9 per game. When the Toronto Raptors allow at least 8 steals, they have a winning 27-11 record.
