The Toronto Raptors and the Charlotte Hornets have lost their step as of late. Both clubs will try to get back into the winning column when they go toe-to-toe at Time Warner Cable Arena tonight. Who will reign supreme in this one? Will the Raptors steal one on the road? Or will the Hornets impose their will at home?
Read on below for a comprehensive breakdown of this Eastern Conference matchup. And if you’re craving for more hoops action, check out our preview of the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Cleveland Cavaliers.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Toronto Raptors vs. Charlotte Hornets Betting Preview
Where: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
When: Thursday, December 17, 2015, 07:00 PM ET
Line: Toronto Raptors vs. Charlotte Hornets– view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: FSS, SN1
Betting on the Toronto Raptors (16-10)
[sc:NBA240banner ]Toronto’s been managing pretty well without two of their key starters in DeMarre Carroll and Jonas Valanciunas, who are both dealing with injuries. The Raptors have won four of their previous five games and continue to lead the Atlantic Division. They’ll try to notch a win at Time Warner Cable Arena, where the Charlotte Hornets await them.
The Raptors, though, had their four-game run snapped at the hands of the Indiana Pacers last Monday, 106-90. They were simply outmatched by the balanced efforts from the trio of Paul George, C.J. Miles and Monte Ellis, who combined for 51 points. Despite this, their guards in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan provided valiant efforts worth taking into account.
Lowry finished with 20 points with four dimes and shot the ball at 50 percent. DeRozan, meanwhile, scored 20 as well but struggled from the field at 7-for-18. The two won’t be catching a break tonight versus a Hornets defense that ranks eighth-best in the league (98.0 points allowed per game).
With Lowry and DeRozan expected to garner all the attention of the opposition, the Raptors might be forced to rely on Luis Scola and Terrence Ross to step it up and provide some crucial points.
Scola is averaging 10.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG and has had a good share of success versus the Hornets throughout 18 career games with 11.4 PPG and 7.2 RPG. Ross, on the other hand, is only posting 6.2 PPG through 20 games this season, but that stretch includes a 22-point outburst against the Lakers on December 7.
Toronto is 5-5 SU and 5-4-1 ATS in its past 10 road games.
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Betting on the Charlotte Hornets (14-10)
With Wednesday night’s 113-98 setback at Orlando, the Charlotte Hornets have now fallen to 14-10 on the season and have lost two-straight games. They’ll have another chance to get back on track when they play host to the visiting Toronto Raptors this evening.
Kemba Walker, the team’s top-scorer (18.0 PPG), has been a no-show in their last two defeats, scoring just 28 points in total and is shooting the rock at a mediocre rate of 33 percent. But the 25-year-old point guard should be able to bounce back from his slump this time around. Walker has played quite well at home this season, averaging 17.0 PPG and 4.4 APG through 14 games. Charlotte went 10-4 in that stretch.
Besides Walker, the Hornets’ next biggest weapon is arguably their bench scoring (37.1 PPG), which is the sixth-best in the league. The pair of Jeremy Lamb (12.0 PPG) and Jeremy Lin (10.7 PPG) is a testament to this as both are delivering double-figure numbers on the year.
It’s worth noting, though, that the Hornets might have to spend a lot of more energy and effort in putting up the points opposite a Raptors defense that’s surrendering only 95.8 points per game, the third-lowest in the NBA.
Meanwhile, center Cody Zeller will need to keep playing at an efficient level while Al Jefferson (13.7 PPG and 6.4 RPG) continues to serve his five-game suspension. Across 21 games thus far, Zeller is contributing 8.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG.
Charlotte is 7-3 SU and 5-5 ATS in its previous 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Toronto wins, 95-86. Create a betting account now and put your NBA predictions to the test!
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