I’m now 11-9 in Raptors free picks as Toronto (-11) was victorious 105-89 at home versus Brooklyn on Wednesday evening. This afternoon the Raptors are at home face the 5-24 New York Knicks.
(5-24) New York Knicks @ (21-6) Toronto Raptors
Probable starting line-ups:
New York – Point Guard – Jose Calderon Shooting Guard – Tim Hardaway C- Cole Aldrich Small Forward – Carmelo Anthony Power Forward – Amar’e Stoudemire
Toronto – PG – Kyle Lowry SG – Terrence Ross C – Jonas Valanciunas SF – Landry Fields PF – Amir Johnson
Stats Leaders:
New York – Points Per Game – Carmelo Anthony 23.5 Rebounds Per Game – Amar’e Stoudemire 7.4 Assists Per Game – Jose Calderon 3.9
Toronto – PPG – Kyle Lowry 19.4 RPG – Jonas Valanciunas 9.0 APG – Kyle Lowry 7.8
Team Scoring: (with league ranking in parentheses)
New York – Points For (Per Game) – 93.6 (28th) Points Against (Per Game) – 99.7 (15th)
Toronto – PF – 107.4 (3rd) PA – 98.7 (13th)
Overview:
The New York Knicks come in to today’s match-up losers of 4 in a row and 14 of their last 15 games. Yesterday they were defeated at home 99-90 versus Phoenix. Small forward Carmelo Anthony led the team with a double-double as he scored 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. He was 9 of 19 from the field in 40 minutes of action. He also had 3 assists and 3 steals. Point guard Jose Calderon scored 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting in 35 minutes. He was 5 of 6 from the 3 point line and also had 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. netted 16 points on 5 of 14 shooting in 34 minutes. Backup center Jason Smith chipped in with 11 points on 5 of 14 from the field in 17 reserve minutes. The team shot 39.8% from the field, 31.8% from the 3 point line (7-22), and 81.3% from the foul line (13-16). The Knicks out-rebounded the Suns 45-43. The team took a 1 point lead in to the 4th quarter but were outscored 32-22 in the final period. New York is 2-12 on the road this season. They have failed to score 100 points in 7 of their last 8 games. Today is the 2nd game of a back to back. They are 1-5 in the 2nd game of a back to back so far this season. Their next game is on Christmas day at home versus the Wizards.
The Toronto Raptors have won 5 in a row and 8 of their last 10 games. On Friday they scored a 110-100 victory at Detroit. Center Jonas Valanciunas led the team in scoring with 17 points on 6 of 11 shooting in 27 minutes. He also had 7 rebounds. Point guard Kyle Lowry scored 15 points, dished out 7 assists, and grabbed 5 rebounds in 25 minutes on the floor. He was 5 of 14 from the field. Backup shooting guard Louis Williams netted 15 points on 4 of 8 shooting in 28 minutes. He also had 5 assists. Power forward James Johnson came off the bench to score 12 points and pull down 8 rebounds in 29 minutes. He was 5 of 9 from the field. Small forward Terrence Ross and power forward Patrick Patterson each chipped in with 11 points apiece. The Raptors were out-rebounded 49-47. The team’s big quarter was the 3rd as they outscored their opposition 29-18 to take an 11 point lead going in to the 4th quarter. Toronto is 13-3 at home this season. They have won their last 3 home games by a margin 12 or more points. Today is the first game of a back to back. Tomorrow night they play at Chicago. They are 6-0 in the first game of a back to back so far this season. Tomorrow starts a 6 game road trip.
In their first meeting of the season Toronto was victorious 95-90 in overtime at New York. After today the 2 teams play two more times, February 28th at New York and March 22nd at Toronto.
Prediction:
Although the Knicks hung around in their first meeting the Raptors are a different animal at home. 6 of the Raptors’ 13 wins at home have come by 13 or more points. That doesn’t bode well for the Knicks today. Take the Raptors -12.5 (1.90) (Bet365)
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