Embarking on a four-game road trip to the West Coast, the Toronto Raptors took care of business last night against the Clippers but the true test awaits tonight when they face a fully loaded Golden State Warriors squad. The Warriors are riding a four-game winning streak and have the band back together, which should give bettors a true litmus test for how these teams stack up if they were to meet in the NBA Finals.
The Warriors opened as 6-point favorites with the total at 227.5.
- The Raptors are 0-13 SU and 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games at Oracle Arena.
- The Warriors are averaging 39.4 percent from three-point range this season.
- The OVER has hit in 6 of the last 7 games in this matchup.
Raptors vs Warriors Game Center
Warriors Continue to Crush Teams with the Three-Ball
In one of the most obvious observations in five years, the Warriors are really good when they have their full lineup intact. The Dubs are now 11-1 SU and 7-5 ATS in 12 games when the Big Four are active and they are near impossible to beat unless they have a bad shooting night. Golden State leads the NBA in three-point efficiency at 39.4 percent and ranks 17th in attempts at 30.6 per game.
The Warriors lead the Western Conference standings at 19-9 SU and at 12-2 SU in 14 games at home. After some drama and infighting that gave some credence to the idea that the Dubs could be vulnerable, they have since shut that down by winning seven of their last nine games and Stephen Curry’s return is the key to that revival. Curry is averaging 31.4 points per game this month (five games) and is shooting an insane 51.8 percent from deep in that span, which means a landslide against the Raptors could very well be in the cards if they continue to shoot that well.
With the line at -6, it’s almost a gift to take them at this spread because the Warriors are so talented that it doesn’t matter what team they face, especially when they’re this hot shooting the ball.
Can the Raptors Legitimately Cover And/Or Win Tonight?
If any team was going to knock off Golden State in its building, the Raps would be one of the top five candidates to do it. The Raptors are 11-3 SU in 14 road games this season and rested Kawhi Leonard in last night’s win over the Clippers to save him for exactly this matchup. However, history is not on their side – Toronto is winless in its last 13 tries at Oracle Arena and has only covered the spread in two of those games.
Here are some notable things going on in 2004 to give you an idea how long it’s been since the Raptors won in Oakland:
- Facebook was on the cusp of being launched
- Barack Obama was running for a Senate position
- Donald Trump debuted the first season of The Apprentice
- Stephen Curry was still a sophomore in high school
- Kanye West released his debut album “College Dropout”
- Lord of the Rings: Return Of The King won the Oscar for Best Picture
Feel old yet? Jokes and aging references aside, here’s why the Raptors have a shot to do it and it’s two reasons: How they fare on back-to-backs and Kawhi Leonard.
The Raptors are a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS in five games on the second half of a back-to-back this season (notable wins over the Wizards, Jazz and Sixers) and Kawhi Leonard has been a beast historically when facing the Warriors. Over the last five games against this squad dating back to 2016 when he was in San Antonio, he’s averaging 27.4 points and two steals and his teams are 3-2 SU. I’m likely not going to back the Raptors in this one but there are some good reasons for bettors to take them if they don’t share my high opinion of the Warriors.
OVER Bettors Cashing in on Raptors Games Lately
The total opened at 229.5 and with two teams in the top five in scoring, the OVER should be heavily considered. The OVER has hit in six of the last seven games in this matchup with an average combined score of 235.1 points per game. When these teams met just under two weeks ago, the final combined score was 259 and was a dogfight for the entire game.
My Pick Is…
To take the Warriors to cover the spread. I love how the Raptors are playing and think Kawhi Leonard will come out like gangbusters but this Warriors squad will be plenty motivated to show it’s the best team in the NBA and knock down a potential challenger. If you want to fade the Warriors, be my guest, but you’ll be betting against history given how the Raps have fared at Oracle Arena.
