There is always a real sense of anticipation whenever you get a match-up between teams ranked 1 and 2 in their conference. That is the NBA betting action we will get on Friday night when the Toronto Raptors roll into Atlanta to take on the East leading Hawks.
Date: Friday, February 20th, 2015
Time: 7:30PM
Venue: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Spread: Atlanta -5.5
NBA Betting Analysis and Game Preview
Toronto will be making that trip riding on a bit of a high, as they have now won 3 games in a row, and 8 of their last 10. What has been a little surprising of late has been the way in which the Raptors are winning games. This is a team that is ranked #5 in the NBA with 105.6 PPG, but with the exception of their blowout win over the Clippers, they have been getting the job done without putting up big offensive numbers. This is a good sign for a team that tends to go the shootout route, as they are going to really have to tighten up on the defensive side of the court if they hope to make a deep run in the playoffs. The Raptors have similar issues to the Hawks in that they essentially have their division wrapped up, with a 14.5 game lead in the Pacific. Motivation can be tough when the lead is that big, which is why big match-ups like this one are always welcome.
Key Betting Trends
Atlanta is 17-6 ATS in its last 23 games Atlanta is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games The total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta’s last 10 games Atlanta is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games at home Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home Toronto is 7-14-1 ATS in its last 22 games Toronto is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto’s last 5 games Toronto is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games on the road Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
