Golden State Warriors at Toronto Raptors
Time: 4 PM ET, Mar 2, 2014
Spread: GSW -2
Total: 201.5
Betting odds courtesy of 5dimes
The Golden State Warriors are 36-23 and seated 6th in the Western Conference. The Warriors are 17-12 on the road and will travel to face the 32-26 Toronto Raptors in a game NBA oddsmakers are favoring the Warriors by 2 points.
Golden State defeated the New York Knicks 126-103 on Friday night (Feb 28), as Stephen Curry notched a triple-double with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Curry made his first All-Star appearance and start in 2014 and he’s averaging 23.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game this season. His backcourt mate Klay Thompson has evolved into a good two-way player and he’s averaging 17.9 points per game this season. David Lee has been steady and is averaging 18.7 points and 9.7 boards per game. The Warriors rank 2nd in the NBA in rebounding (45.8 rebounds per game) and are a tough defensive team, too. The Warriors have the 9th stingiest defense, surrendering 98.7 points per game.
The Raptors lost 134-129 in OT to the Washington Wizards last time out on Thursday (Feb 27). DeMar DeRozan shot 11-of-23 and 12-of-14 from the line en route to a game-high 34 points and Kyle Lowry was one rebound shy of a triple-double (18 pts, 10 assists, 9 rebs). The Raptors are the third best team in the Eastern Conference, but linger far behind Indiana and Miami. The Raps have a strong eight-man rotation, and can even go 10 or 11 deep, if needed. Lowry played 54 minutes in the loss to Washington and DeRozan played 57, but the team has had several days to rest since then.
The Raptors are 16-12 at home and have the 5th stingiest defense in the NBA (97.1 points allowed per game). The Raps average 100.1 points per game for a win differential of +3.0. DeRozan made the All-Star team this year and is averaging 22.7 points and 3.9 assists per game. Lowry likely should have made it (instead of Joe Johnson), and the point guard is posting 16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game.
Jonas Valanciunas has made strides this season and is a strong 5-man. The Spaniard is posting 10.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season.
GSW Trends: UNDER 4-0 in last 4 games following ATS win; UNDER 5-0 in last 5 when opponent scores 100 points or more in previous game; 0-4 ATS in last 4 road games vs teams with winning home record.
TOR Trends: 3-0-1 ATS in last 4 games playing on 2 days rest; UNDER 5-1 in last 6 after allowing more than 125 points in previous game; OVER 4-1 in last 5 following ATS loss.
Head-to-head: Warriors 5-1 ATS in last 6 meetings in Toronto; Warriors 17-4 ATS in last 21 meetings; OVER 4-1 in last 5 meetings.
