In the National Basketball Association; the San Antonio Spurs are on the road at the Toronto Raptors on Friday. These two teams are a combined 30-29 on the season, and both in a great spot to host first round playoff series. The home team – Toronto Raptors are 30-13 on the season, and second in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors are 3 games back of the Boston Celtics in the East. Toronto has been terrific at home this season with 16 wins in 19 games. The Raptors are 7-3 in their last 10 games.
The San Antonio Spurs are also coming off a win. The Spurs are 30-16, and 2 games behind the Houston Rockets for the second seed in the Western Conference. San Antonio has struggled bit time on the road with just 11 wins in 25 games. The Toronto Raptors are -5 over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.
Raptors Looking to Roll at Home
The Toronto Raptors are just 3 games behind the Celtics for the lead in the East and Atlantic Division. The Raptors feel they have what it takes to close that game in the final 35 games of the season. The Raptors need to win 20 more games to finish with 50+ wins for the third straight season.
The Raptors are third in the NBA in scoring with 112 points per game, and 9th defensively, allowing 104.3 per game. The guard combination of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have been fantastic, with over 41 points per game. Lowery is dishing out 7 assists per game as well. The big man Jonas Valanciunas is having another solid season with 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
Spurs Struggle on the Road
Gregg Popovich and his San Antonio Spurs are without their leading scorer Kawhi Leonard, for what appears to be several weeks, and maybe months. He joins Rudy Gay as an injured Spurs offensive threat. The Spurs have struggled on the offensive end all season, as they are 26th with just 101.3 points per game. The defense for San Antonio has been elite, as they are allowing less than 98 points per game.
Without Leonard, the Spurs will lean on LaMarcus Aldridge. The big man is scoring 22.7 points per game, and grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game. The Spurs will also need more production from Pau Gasol. His top 10.5 points per game is currently 2nd on the active list of Spurs scorers.
Raptors Whip Spurs
This should be an interesting game as the Toronto Raptors are going to want to push the basketball up and down the floor and score a bunch of points. Do not be surprised if they do just that. The Spurs are usually known for their ability to play deep, but with their injuries, and against a loaded Raptors roster – they are in trouble.
The Toronto Raptors are going to win this game, and they are going to win it with some ease. The Spurs have fallen several times on the road, and numerous times they have been blown out. This is another one of those. Take the Toronto Raptors -4 over the San Antonio Spurs. Bet on the Toronto Raptors -5 over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.
