Things have quickly gone south for the team up north. The Toronto Raptors have been scuffling against top-quality opposition over the last couple of weeks, with All-Star Kyle Lowry’s struggles the chief culprit for their slide. They now head to the Alamo City to face a Spurs team that’s getting back to championship form.
With Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker playing up to their Finals MVP-caliber level, San Antonio is looking to climb higher up the Western Conference standings. Read on as we break down this battle between two teams heading in the opposite directions.
For more of Tuesday’s exciting East-West matchups, check out our preview of the Cavs vs. Mavs.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Toronto Raptors vs. San Antonio Spurs Betting Preview
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio
When: Tuesday, March 10, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Toronto Raptors at San Antonio Spurs – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors (38-25) are reeling. Their 108-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday was their third in a row and eighth in nine games. To be fair to the Raptors though, their recent stretch has been very tough indeed. Seven of the nine games have been on the road, with three pairs of back-to-backs stacked in a row.
[sc:NBA240banner ]DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 24 points and nine assists at OKC to continue his scorching March. DeRozan is averaging 30 points and shooting 52 percent from the field in the first four games of this month.
However, his backcourt mate Kyle Lowry has yet to completely find his All-Star form. After being given three games off to rest up, Lowry followed up a promising 25-point performance in a loss to the Hornets with 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting against the Thunder.
Lowry is coming off a brutal February, wherein he averaged just 12 points on 34 percent shooting and five assists. He is averaging 18 points and seven assists on the season.
The Raptors will need their star backcourt to be at their best offensively against a Spurs team that just can’t stop scoring at the moment. Toronto is averaging 104.4 points per game this season (top five in the NBA), but that average has gone down to 97.3 points in the last nine games.
Furthermore, the Raptors have averaged just 86 points per game in their last three games against teams in the top ten in defensive efficiency (the Rockets, Warriors, and Hornets). The Spurs are No. 3 overall in that statistic this season.
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Betting on the San Antonio Spurs
Here come the champs. After a disappointing Rodeo Road Trip which saw them drop four games in a row – three of which were against the Clippers, Warriors and Blazers – the Spurs (39-23) have quickly turned things around to win five straight games.
Granted, they beat the struggling Kings (twice), the trade-altered Suns and Nuggets, and the Rose- and Butler-less Bulls, but there are a couple of reasons to think those wins are indicative of better things to come.
Those two reasons are Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker. The two former NBA Finals MVPs have had injury-riddled seasons to date, but are finally starting to turn it on. Leonard is averaging 21 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 55 percent in his last five games, while Parker is averaging 20 points and shooting 53 percent.
With the two main cogs of the Spurs’ offense rolling, San Antonio is averaging 111.2 points per game over those last five games. They’ve been even more impressive at home, averaging 116 points in their last three games against the Kings, Nuggets and Bulls.
Parker, who is coming off a season-high 32 points in a 116-105 win over the Bulls on Sunday, will look to get the better of his matchup with the struggling Kyle Lowry, who has been on the losing end of point guard duels in recent games.
Mo Williams and Russell Westbrook have gone for 23 and 30 points, respectively, against Lowry in the Raptors’ last two games. Ish Smith (19 points) and Kyrie Irving (26 points) also managed big games against the Raps when Lowry was out of the lineup.
San Antonio has gone 11-1 in its last dozen home games, but has gone just 5-5-2 against the spread.
Writer’s Prediction
The Spurs continue their free-scoring ways as they win and cover at home against the Raptors.
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