New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors
Time: 7 PM CT (TNT)
Spread: TOR -10
Total: 200
Betting odds c/o 5dimes
The Toronto Raptors are owners of a nine-game win streak and NBA oddsmakers have taken notice in favoring the Raptors by 10-points over the visiting New York Knicks. Toronto is now 30-15 on the season and 16-6 at home, while the visiting Knicks are just 9-15 on the road this year.
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New York has also lost its last three contests, dropping games to the Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Hornets and Oklahoma City Thunder. The 128-122 loss to OKC happened just last night (Jan 27) as Kevin Durant really got it going with 44 points. Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis had 15 points on 5 of 12 shooting but Arron Afflalo was just 6 of 21 from the field, failing to help fill the void by Carmelo Anthony who sat out with a sore left knee.
Porzingis for his part has developed into a very consistent source of offense and defensive playmaking for the Knicks. Over his past five games he is averaging 14.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks/steals per game. Porzingis has become one of the most feared help-side defenders in the Association, and he is playing nothing like a rookie.
Porzinigis often bails the Knicks out in late shot clock situations, and the fact he averages 12 field goal attempts on the year shows his big role within the Knicks triangle offense.
Anthony’s absence will affect the Knicks once again though, as it is hard to replace 21.3 points per game and New York is not loaded with supplementary scoring options. Afflalo will have to shoulder a bigger load, but when he is hitting 6 of 21 it lends to the Knicks being double-digit dogs in this affair.
The Raptors meanwhile have been trouncing opponents, with an average win of 18.3 points per game. The most recent was a 106-89 defeat of the Washington Wizards last night. Kyle Lowry exited the game with a left wrist injury, but x-rays were negative.
Lowry had 29 points with five made threes in the win, and the Raptors are heavily in need of his All-Star caliber play from the point guard spot. Lowry is listed as questionable for tonight’s game, but Toronto sorely needs his 20.9 points, 6.4 assists and five rebounds per game.
Lowry posts a PER of 23.00, illustrative of how far ahead he is at his position. The Raptors have a powerful backcourt with fellow one-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, who is sure to command a max-contract at season’s end.
DeRozan leads the team in scoring at 23 points per game, while also grabbing 4.5 rebounds and dishing 4.1 assists. The Raptors have three players above PER of 20, with Jonas Valanciunas joining the club. Jonas V. is a powerful center in the Raptors attack and he shoots 55.5 percent from the floor on 8.8 attempts per game.
The Raptors have the right complement of role players with the defensive-minded DeMarre Carroll and ultra-reliable Luis Scola. Terrence Ross, Cory Joseph, Patrick Patterson and Bismack Biyombo round out a talented rotation for the Raptors. Patterson is a good mid-range shooter and Biyombo is a force protecting the rim in the second unit, perfectly filling the void left by Amir Johnson’s departure. The Raptors are a well-constructed team playing great basketball, and it looks as though it will extend its win streak to 10-games.
Even if the Raps are without Lowry, the Knicks are without Anthony and that is more deleterious to New York’s chances than even Lowry’s absence for the Raptors. It just means that if Lowry is out DeRozan will have to carry an even bigger load. He is capable of that. Toronto should prevail in this game, though assessing the spread is difficult to do without knowing Lowry’s status for certain. Without Lowry it is unlikely the Raptors dispose of the Knicks in such decisive fashion.
