The playoffs are coming. The Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors face off as both attempt to secure home court advantage in the upcoming NBA Playoffs. The same can’t be said for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks. Both hockey clubs are still in a tight battle for a coveted spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Looking for more action? Check out our complete previews for the Spurs vs. Heat and Warriors vs. Clippers.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Houston Rockets vs. Toronto Raptors (7:30 PM ET)
Line: Houston Rockets (+1.5) at Toronto Raptors (-1.5); total 208.5 – view these lines
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Rockets are in quite a bind heading into Toronto. They’ve dropped their last seven visits to Air Canada Centre, and are missing a couple of key players in their roster. Dwight Howard sits out on this second half of a back-to-back, while Patrick Beverly and Terrence Jones are out with injuries. Still, the Rockets should be well-taken care of with James Harden averaging 31.5 points in their current four-game win streak.
Toronto can match Harden’s firepower with DeMar DeRozan. The Raptors shooting guard is averaging 22.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in March. But he put up just 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting in a 98-76 loss at Houston on February 21. Expect James Johnson to step up though. He had 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting against the Lakers on Friday, and dropped 27 on 10-of-16 shooting against the Rockets.
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Writer’s Prediction
The Raptors (-1.5) take advantage of a short-handed Houston.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 PM ET)
Line: Los Angeles Kings (-110) at Chicago Blackhawks (-110); total 5.0 – view these lines
The Los Angeles Kings are making a push toward the playoffs. They’re two points behind the final Wild Card spot, and just a point behind the third spot allotted for the Pacific. The Kings are in good position heading into this game after winning five of their last seven on the road. Jeff Carter and Marian Gaborik have been money over that stretch, tallying a total of 10 points (three goals and two assists each).
The Chicago Blackhawks are also in their own playoff predicament. Standing at third place in the West’s Central Division, the Blackhawks are just one point ahead of the Minnesota Wild. If Chicago is to take the full two points in this game, it’ll need Jonathan Toews to keep up his excellent play. Toews has 11 points (five goals and six assists) over 12 games in March.
Games between these two teams have seen plenty of goals. The total has gone over in eight of the past 10 matchups.
Writer’s Prediction
The Kings (-110) win to keep their playoff hopes alive. For a bonus, take the total to go over 5.0.
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