I was incorrect on my last Raptors free prediction as the Clippers (-1) were defeated 123-107 at Toronto on Friday night. I am now a season-worst 2 games below .500 in Raptors free predictions with an 18-20 record. Tonight the 34-17 Toronto Raptors host the 32-18 San Antonio Spurs.
(32-18) San Antonio Spurs @ (34-17) Toronto Raptors
Probable starting line-ups:
San Antonio – Point Guard – Tony Parker Shooting Guard – Danny Green Center – Aron Baynes Small Forward – Kawhi Leonard Power Forward – Tim Duncan
Toronto – PG – Kyle Lowry SG – Greivis Vasquez C – Jonas Valanciunas SF – DeMar DeRozan PF – Amir Johnson
Stats Leaders:
San Antonio – Points Per Game – Kawhi Leonard 15.9 Rebounds Per Game – Tim Duncan 10.1 Assists Per Game – Manu Ginobili 4.9
Toronto – PPG – Kyle Lowry 18.9 RPG – Jonas Valanciunas 8.5 APG – Kyle Lowry 7.2
Team Scoring: (with league ranking in parentheses)
San Antonio – Points For (Per Game) – 101.1 (11th) Points Against (Per Game) – 97.2 (6th)
Toronto – PF – 106.2 (4th) PA – 101.3 (23rd)
Overview:
The San Antonio Spurs have won 2 in a row and 13 of their last 17 games. On Friday they secured a 98-85 home victory versus the Heat. Small forward Kawhi Leonard led the way with 24 points on 8 of 15 shooting in 33 minutes. He was 5 of 10 from the 3 point line. He also had 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Point guard Tony Parker scored 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting in 29 minutes. He also had 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Power forward Tim Duncan contributed with a double-double as he scored 10 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. He was 5 of 8 from the field in 25 minutes. The team shot 48.2% from the field, 37.9% from the 3 point line (11-29), and 77.8% from the free throw line (7-9). The Spurs out-rebounded the Heat 43-37. Their big quarter was the 1st as they out-scored their opposition 30-19. San Antonio is 12-11 on the road this season. Tonight is the 1st game of a back to back. They are 8-6 in the first game of a back to back so far this season. Tonight is also the start of a 9 game road trip. Tomorrow night they play at Indiana.
The Toronto Raptors snapped their brief 2 game losing skid with a 123-107 win at home versus the Clippers on Friday. Shooting guard/small forward DeMar DeRozan led the team in scoring with 24 points on 6 of 16 shooting in 32 minutes. He was 12 of 13 from the foul line. He also had 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Point guard Kyle Lowry scored 21 points on 6 of 9 shooting in 38 minutes. Backup shooting guard Louis Williams netted 18 points on 4 of 9 shooting in 28 minutes off the bench. Point guard/shooting guard Greivis Vasquez contributed with 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting in 23 minutes. Reserve power forward James Johnson chipped in with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He was a perfect 7 of 7 from the field in 19 minutes. The team shot 53.3% from the field, 43.3% from the 3 point line (13-30), and 81.1% from the free throw line (30-37). The Raptors out-rebounded the Clippers 42-30. The team trailed by 15 points after the 1st quarter but out-scored their opposition by 13 points in the 2nd and 18 points in the 3rd quarter. Toronto is 19-9 at home this season. Tonight is the 4th game of a 5 game home stand. Their next game is Wednesday at home versus Washington.
Tonight is the first meeting of the season between San Antonio and Toronto. Last season the Spurs were victorious in both meetings with the Raptors (and won by a margin of 13 points in both games). The Spurs have won the last 7 meetings. After tonight the 2 teams play 1 more time this season, March 10th at San Antonio.
Prediction:
My confidence isn’t that high in the Raptors at the moment even with their win against the Clippers on Friday. The Spurs are a veteran team that goes about their business and I think they’ll show the Raptors how it’s done tonight, the Raptors are winning but still have some things to learn if they want to take that next step to elite status. Take the Spurs -1.5 (1.90) (Bet365)
Tagged With : Toronto Raptors betting
