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The San Antonio Spurs travel to the North of the border to take on the Toronto Raptors on Friday night at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
DeRozan Returns
The San Antonio Spurs finally notched their first win in their annual Rodeo Trip as they defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in their last game before the All-Star Break. Now the Spurs face another tough task as they visit the Eastern Conference powerhouse Raptors in Toronto.
The game marks the return of DeMar DeRozan to the city where his career began. DeRozan was Toronto’s top player before he was traded to the Spurs for Kawhi Leonard. DeRozan is having an excellent season with the Spurs as he is averaging 21.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game. LaMarcus Aldridge is also playing well with 21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game for the Spurs. Meanwhile, veteran forward Rudy Gay is helping out with 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
San Antonio is ranked 13th in the league in scoring at 112.3 points per game. The Spurs are averaging 24.7 assists per game, 14th overall. They are also 23rd in rebounding at 44.1 boards per contest. San Antonio has the 16th best scoring defense in the league at 111.4 points per game allowed.
Spurs
+275
Raptors
-330
Odds from betonline.ag as of 2/22/19
More Versatile
Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse believes that his team has become more versatile with the addition of veterans Marc Gasol and Jeremy Lin. Toronto hopes that versatility is going to translate to wins as the Raptors continue to battle the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Kawhi Leonard leads Toronto with 27.0 points along with 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Serge Ibaka is helping Leonard with 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while Kyle Lowry is running the point with 14.3 points and 9.2 assists per game. Pascal Siakam is having a breakout season with 16.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for Toronto.
The Raptors are the 6th best scoring team in the league at 114.3 points per game. Toronto is ranked 15th in passing at 24.7 assists per game and they are also 14th off the glass with 45.2 boards grabbed per contest. The Raptors are 10th in the NBA in scoring defense at 108.7 points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
The Spurs are 1-4 SU in their last five games played on the road. San Antonio is also 1-4 SU in their last five games overall. The Raptors are are 3-1 SU in their last four games at home. Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last five games overall. Head to head, the Spurs are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games against the Raptors.
This is the second meetings between these teams after the big trade. In their first encounter, DeRozan notched his first career triple double and led the Spurs to a huge 125-107 win. Kawhi Leonard played in that game and scored 21 points but the Raptors were outplayed and dominated by the Spurs.
A lot of things have changed since then. The Raptors have added more firepower with Marc Gasol and Jeremy Lin. Gasol should help out Serge Ibaka in containing LaMarcus Aldridge who has been the other key player for San Antonio this season. Likewise, Pascal Siakam enters this game after scoring a career high 44 points in his last game. Siakam is averaging 21.5 points per game in his last 10 games played.
DeRozan meanwhile has struggled in 2019. He averaged only 16.3 points and shot just 40% from the floor in the month of January. He’s playing better this month but he needs to return to his old form if the Spurs are to make a playoff run.
San Antonio has struggled on the road this season as they are 11-19 away from home. Meanwhile the Raptors have been near flawless at home with their 24-5 SU record. The Raptors have gotten better with the addition of Gasol and Lin.
I’m picking the Toronto Raptors to beat the San Antonio Spurs on 2/22/19.
Other Bets To Make
San Antonio is 0-5 ATS in its last five games played. The Spurs are also 0-5 ATS in their last five road games. Toronto is 3-6 ATS in its last nine games played. The Raptors are 1-3 ATS in their last four games at home. Head to head, the Spurs are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games versus the Raptors.
Spurs
+7.5 (-110)
Raptors
-7.5 (-110)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 2/22/19
San Antonio is 0-6 ATS in its last six games when their opponent allows more than 100 points in their previous game, 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games after scoring 100 or more points in their previous game and 0-4 ATS in their last four road games against teams with a winning home record. Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last five home games against Western Conference teams and 5-3 ATS in their last eight February games. If this game were played in San Antonio I would’ve had a hard time making my pick. This one’s in Toronto and the Spurs aren’t the same team away from home this season.
Prediction: Raptors -7.5
The total has gone over in nine out of the last 10 games played by the Spurs. The over is 6-0 in the last six road games played by San Antonio. The total has gone under in six out of the last 10 games played by the Raptors. Toronto has seen the total go over in two out of their last four home games. Head to head, the over is 6-4 in the last 10 games between these two teams. Likewise, the over is 6-2 in their last eight meetings in Toronto.
Spurs
O 228 -110
Raptors
U 228 -110
Odds from betonline.ag as of 2/22/19
The total has gone over in San Antonio’s last seven games against teams with a winning percentage higher than .600. The over is also 5-0 in the Spurs’ last five games after an ATS loss, 5-0 after scoring at least 100 points in their previous game and 4-0 in their last four games against the Atlantic Division. On the other hand, Toronto has seen the total go over in seven out of their last eight games against the Southwest Division, 4-1 in their last five games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game and 5-1 in their last six games when playing on three or more days rest. Both are potent scoring squads who average over 112 points per game this season so I expect a high scoring affair here.
Prediction: Over 228
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