NBA Odds: Raptors (even)
The Toronto Raptors welcome the Miami Heat to the Air Canada Centre. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 13 and can be seen on Sun Sports and SN One.
The Raptors are are expecting a better outcome after their 117-107 loss to the Spurs on Tuesday. Kyle Lowry was the game’s leading scorer with 32 points. The Heat, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-98 win against the Nets on Wednesday. Dwyane Wade led the game in scoring by accounting for 28 points on 10-for-25 shooting.
DeMar DeRozan has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Raptors. During that stretch, he has averaged 27.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.6 three-pointers. Wade has been hot for the Heat. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 23.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 three-pointers.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Heat winning the first matchup 107-102. Wade put up a double-double in the victory with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The odds for Toronto and Miami are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Raptors come into this game 38-26 Straight Up (SU) and 29-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 2-8 ATS. The Raptors are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .785 from the free throw line.
As for their opponent, the Heat have 29-35 SU and 29-32-3 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Miami is 19-19 SU and 19-17-2 ATS. Offensively, the Heat have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 94.5 points per game by averaging 102.5 during that stretch.
In their previous meeting this season, Miami beat Toronto, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 10-0. Furthermore, the Heat hold the advantage ATS with a record of 8-2. Miami held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, Toronto never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, ATS Winner – TOR
Notes
Miami ranks 28th in points per game with 94.5, while Toronto ranks 23rd in points allowed with an average of 101.3 given up.
Miami ranks 28th in points per away game with 93.1 points, while Toronto ranks 14th in points allowed at home with 98.1.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Heat are 26-12 on the season. When the Raptors score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 7-15.
The Miami Heat have a subpar 3-23 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Toronto Raptors are 31-11 when they hit the century mark.
The Raptors have a defensive rating of 104.4 (ranked 24th), while the Heat rank 17th for their offensive rating of 101.6.
The Miami Heat have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the league with a FG% of 45.6%. When their opponents have a similar or higher FG%, the Toronto Raptors are 19-21.
On average, the Toronto Raptors attempt 25.3 three point field goals per game and the Miami Heat attempt 20.5 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Toronto is 21-17, while Miami has a losing record of 4-7.
Toronto has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.71 this season (ranked 10th), while Miami ranks lower at 22nd with an A/TO of 1.47.
Both the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat have had their share of rebound struggles this season. The Raptors rank 26th in rebounding (41.4 per game) and the Heat rank 30th (38.6 per game).
The Miami Heat rank 29th in offensive rebounding, while the Toronto Raptors rank 27th in defensive rebounding.
Miami is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.1% (ranked 10th). Toronto has a losing record of 7-12 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.1% or greater.
