The best in the East will take on the second-best in the West in the Pacific Northwest as the Toronto Raptors continue their five-game road trip against the Portland Trail Blazers. Both teams are in the midst of terrific winning runs over the last few weeks, but something has to give when the Raptors and their NBA-best offense face the Blazers and their much-improved defense.
The Atlanta Hawks are hot on the Raptors’ heels in the East, and they take on the inconsistent Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. Click here for a preview of that Eastern Conference matchup, and read on below for a look ahead to the Raps vs. Blazers.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Toronto Raptors vs. Portland Trail Blazers Betting Preview
Where: Moda Center, Portland
When: Tuesday, December 30, 2014, 10:00 PM ET
Line: Toronto Raptors at Portland Trail Blazers – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors kept their torrid run going with a 116-102 road win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. The Raps have now won eight of their last nine games (6-3 against the spread) to maintain their lead atop the Eastern Conference.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Raptors, who already own one of the best offenses in the league thus far this season (112.3 points per 100 possessions), have taken their scoring up a notch over the last week or so. They’re averaging a sizzling 115 points per game in their last five games despite playing a relatively average pace (96.62 possessions per 48 minutes), which is a testament to their efficiency.
Point guard Kyle Lowry has been at the center of that outstanding offensive surge. Lowry is averaging 21.4 points and 8.3 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field and 47 percent from beyond the arc in his last nine games, which he’s upped to 25 points per game on 53 percent shooting in his last five. Lowry had 25 points to lead the Raptors past the Clippers last Saturday to snap LA’s eight-game home-winning streak.
Even with swing man DeMar DeRozan out, the backcourt remains the Raptors’ strength because of the strong play of Lowry, as well as their reserve guards. Lou Williams has been instant offense of the bench, averaging 17.6 points per game in his last nine, while Greivis Vasquez has chipped in with 21 and 16 point games during the past week.
Overall, though, it’s been a very balanced offensive effort from this deep Raptors team. Eight players are averaging over eight points per game in their last nine games.
Create a betting account now and wade through another deep, action-filled NBA schedule for some valuable bets.
Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers
Despite their starting frontcourt continuing to miss time, the Portland Trail Blazers just keep rolling along on both ends of the court. The Blazers’ 101-79 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday was their eighth in nine games. They’ve also gone 7-2 against the spread.
Not only do the Blazers have a top-10 offense (106.4 points per 100 possessions) during that stretch, they also have by far the best defensive rating of 95.9 points per 100 possessions, almost two points fewer than the second-place Pacers.
They’ve done all of this with All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge missing three out of the last four games, while center Robin Lopez has been out for the last seven with a broken hand. The ragtag bunch of Chris Kaman, Joel Freeland and Thomas Robinson (21 points and 18 rebounds per game between them in the last nine) have provided solid minutes up front in their absence.
Meanwhile, the explosive scoring backcourt of Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews has taken care of the scoring with almost 42 points between them. Both are also averaging close to three three-pointers each while shooting well above 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Aldridge should be fully recovered from his upper respiratory infection by Tuesday to provide most of, if not all of the 23 points and 10 rebounds he’s averaging this season against Toronto.
The Blazers are 14-2 at home this season (10-5-1 against the spread).
Writer’s Prediction
The Blazers defense cools off the Raptors’ road-weary offense as they win and cover at home.
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