The Toronto Raptors have won 50 games for the fourth season in a row and are three games back of the Bucks for first in the East. But they’ve been hit-or-miss on the road lately, going 2-3 SU and ATS in their last five away from the Six. Now, they face an enormous challenge without Kyle Lowry to go take down the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have had their own struggles and have dropped three in a row.
The Thunder opened as 5-point favorites with a total of 223.5.
Raptors vs Thunder Game Center
STANDOUT STATS
- Kyle Lowry is doubtful for this game after injuring his ankle vs the Knicks. In 14 games without Lowry in the lineup, the Raptors are 8-5 SU in 13 games but 3-5 SU in games that were played on the road.
- The Raptors are 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games on the road vs teams with winning records. However, the Raptors have been a 5-point road underdog four times this season and are 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS.
- Since the all-star break, the Raptors’ offense has been on fire. They rank in the top 10 in points scored per game and rank first in three-point percentage (40.1 percent) on 35.5 attempts and are sixth in field-goal percentage (47.2 percent). Their defense has also been stellar by ranking in the top 10 in scoring defense and opposition field-goal and three-point percentage.
- The Thunder have been a horrible spread bet since the all-star break as they’ve gone 3-11 ATS in 14 games and 1-5 ATS in six home games. In those games, they’re allowing the opposition to shoot 36.8 percent from behind the arc on 29.3 attempts. Their offense has also been struggling as they rank last in the NBA in field-goal percentage in that span (42.4) while ranking 28th in three-point percentage.
- Totals bettors will be in tough to find a lean in this game using trends, as the total has gone UNDER in five of the Thunder’s last six games (avg. combined score: 209.0) but OVER in the last five games in this matchup (avg. combined score: 229.2).
My Best Bet for Raptors vs Thunder
Raptors +5
Making this pick was agony because I’m very high on the Thunder and how far they’ll go in the playoffs but they have been terrible since the all-star break. The Raptors have had some letdowns lately but I think they can keep this game close and even win because you don’t just fall backwards into 50 wins in the NBA.
The Raptors will at least get Serge Ibaka back in the lineup after he served his suspension and I think he can help spread the floor against a Thunder team that has been awful in defending the perimeter since the break.
