Here come the Raptors. Toronto moved to within 2.5 games of Cleveland for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a comprehensive victory over New Orleans on Saturday. The Raptors will look to slice that deficit even further when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in a blockbuster showdown at Air Canada Centre.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this East vs. West matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between league-leaders Golden State and Washington.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Toronto Raptors Preview
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto
When: Monday, March 28, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder (-3) at Toronto Raptors (+3); total: 211.0 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: FSOK/Sportsnet One
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder (51-22)
The Oklahoma City Thunder extended their winning streak to seven games with an impressive 111-92 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. Four players scored in double-figures for the Thunder who moved 5.5 games clear of the Los Angeles Clippers for third place in the Western Conference.
Key to the Thunder’s stunning resurgence has been their incredible offense. The Thunder are averaging 117 points over their last seven games. That’s way above their season average of 110.2 points. That sizzling offense was in full display Saturday against the Spurs where they shot a solid 51.8 percent from the field.
Oklahoma City will look to keep the momentum going when it takes on Toronto later tonight. For the Thunder to accomplish that feat, they will need Kevin Durant to continue his excellent play. He was simply unstoppable against the Spurs, scoring 31 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the floor. Durant’s efficiency has been on display of late as he is shooting 58.1 percent from the floor in Oklahoma City’s last five games.
The Thunder are 6-4 SU and 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 road games.
The Toronto Raptors finally snapped their two-game losing streak with an emphatic 115-91 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. It was a historic victory for the Raptors who tied their franchise record with their 49th regular-season win.
Looking for a third straight home win tonight against the Thunder, the Raptors will continue to rely on leading scorer DeMar DeRozan (23.6 ppg). The California native, who scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting in the win against the Pelicans, has averaged 21.8 points in his last four games. He scored 28 points in Toronto’s 103-98 win at Oklahoma City on November 4. Also expected to contribute tonight is the ever-improving Patrick Patterson. He is averaging 13.5 points on 10-of-14 shooting in two games since returning from an ankle injury.
One guy who needs to step up tonight is Kyle Lowry. He’s averaging just 14.7 points on 25.5 percent shooting over his last three games, including 4 of 22 from beyond the arc. It won’t get any easier for Lowry tonight as he has been limited to just 14.1 points in his last seven games against Oklahoma City.
The Raptors are 8-2 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 home games.
