It’s possible that Friday’s marquee NBA matchup of San Antonio at Toronto could be a preview of the NBA Finals, but it’s more likely that each team is only good enough to reach its respective conference finals. The best Spurs player also is missing this game, making Toronto a solid NBA odds favorite.
Toronto is 25-5 when recording at least 20 assists in a game this season, compared to a 5-7 record when they are held under 20 assists. The Raptors currently rank 12th in the NBA averaging 22.8 assists. Lowry leads the team averaging 6.9 assists, while DeRozan is averaging a career-high 5.0 assists. VanVleet leads the bench averaging 2.8 assists.
Toronto is the only team in the NBA ranked among the top-10 teams offensively and defensively. The Raptors rank third overall averaging 112.3 points and seventh in field goal percentage. Toronto also ranks 10th for fewest points allowed (104.6) and ninth in opponent field goal percentage.
How to Bet Spurs at Raptors NBA Odds & Game Info
When: Friday, 7 PM ET Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto TV: NBA League Pass, FSSW, TSN Stream: NBA League Pass Radio: WOAI 1200 (San Antonio) / 1050 AM (Toronto) NBA Odds: Raptors -5 (208)Rudy Gay (right heel bursitis), Manu Ginobili (right thigh contusion) and Kawhi Leonard (return from injury management) are out for tomorrow night’s Spurs-Raptors game. pic.twitter.com/eS8FiaqTsP
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 18, 2018
First Meeting
The Raptors visited San Antonio on Oct. 23 and lost their ninth straight there, 101-97. The score was tied for the 17th and final time with six minutes left in the fourth quarter before the Spurs went on a 12-2 run that would never allow them to lose the lead. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 20 points, while Dejounte Murray chipped in with his first double-double of his career with 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Spurs were without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker. Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 28 points and Jakob Poeltl notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 reboundsWhy Bet on San Antonio?
I wouldn’t be as confident of backing the Spurs for a while as their superstar and maybe the NBA’s best all-around defensive player, Leonard, is out indefinitely due to lingering pain from a quadriceps injury that caused him to miss the first 27 games of the season. Coach Gregg Popovich says it’s not season-ending. The Spurs initially announced during training camp that Leonard would miss the preseason because of the quadriceps issue, but the recovery process lingered into December. The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year has appeared in just nine games this season. Despite playing just 23.3 minutes per game, the 26-year-old Leonard was averaging 16.2 points. The Spurs improved to 25-12 this season without Leonard in a 100-95 win over Brooklyn on Wednesday. Aldridge had 34 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks. It’s his team now. Patty Mills chipped in seven 3-pointers and 25 points, and Pau Gasol 13 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Manu Ginobili missed the game with a bruise thigh and won’t play Friday. Also out is Rudy Gay (right heel bursitis). Kyle Anderson takes over Leonard’s starting role. Anderson has scored in double figures in 15 of 38 contests after scoring in double digits in 4 of 72 games last season. He leads the team in shooting and ranks third in double-doubles with four after previously just posting one in his career. San Antonio leads the league in fewest opponent points allowed per game, holding opponents to 97.9 points per game and has held over half of their opponents to under 100 points (27 of 46).Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 101.33
- Field Goals: 45.76%
- Three Points: 37.10%
- Free Throws: 77.85%
- Rebounds: 44.11
- Average Score Against: 97.87
- Field Goals: 44.84%
- Three Points: 34.83%
- Free Throws: 73.63%
- Rebounds: 42.17
Why Bet on Toronto?
The Raptors avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season with a 96-91 home win over Detroit on Wednesday. Toronto got its 30th win of the season thanks in large part to Jonas Valanciunas’ 17 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and one block in 27 minutes. He had played just 14 minutes in Monday’s loss. Kyle Lowry posted 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists. C.J. Miles scored a team-high 21 points off the bench vs. Detroit, hitting five 3-pointers with four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Backup point guard Fred VanVleet does not have any structural damage in his injured knee and is considered day-to-day. He missed the Pistons game after injuring his right knee on a layup attempt in Monday’s game vs. the Sixers. If VanVleet is unable to play again, Delon Wright would get additional minutes off the Raptors bench.
Toronto is 25-5 when recording at least 20 assists in a game this season, compared to a 5-7 record when they are held under 20 assists. The Raptors currently rank 12th in the NBA averaging 22.8 assists. Lowry leads the team averaging 6.9 assists, while DeRozan is averaging a career-high 5.0 assists. VanVleet leads the bench averaging 2.8 assists.
Toronto is the only team in the NBA ranked among the top-10 teams offensively and defensively. The Raptors rank third overall averaging 112.3 points and seventh in field goal percentage. Toronto also ranks 10th for fewest points allowed (104.6) and ninth in opponent field goal percentage.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 111.95
- Field Goals: 46.94%
- Three Points: 35.01%
- Free Throws: 80.38%
- Rebounds: 43.33
- Average Score Against: 104.30
- Field Goals: 45.20%
- Three Points: 34.86%
- Free Throws: 77.09%
- Rebounds: 42.16
Latest NBA Odds Trends
- San Antonio is 2-2-2 ATS in its last 6 games
- San Antonio is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Antonio’s last 5 games
- Toronto is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
- Toronto is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Toronto’s last 9 games
