Toronto Raptors at Golden State Warriors
Time: 10:30 PM EDT (NBA TV)
Spread: GSW -10
Total: 208.5
Betting odds c/o 5dimes
The first of the bumps in the road have arrived for the Golden State Warriors: It could be without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
That kind of leaves reigning MVP Stephen Curry to carry the load, but that is something he is fully capable of doing. NBA oddsmakers agree, setting the line for the Warriors home matchup against the Toronto Raptors 10-points in favor of the Dubs.
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Thompson has been battling a stiff back, but he should be able to go in this one. The Warriors are 7-0 at home, and Thompson’s shooting stroke makes him a valuable player to the Warriors court spacing. Thompson averaged 22.5 points per game against Toronto last year, and he hit 9 of 14 from three-point range against the Raptors.
The Dubs are still undefeated at 11-0, and the Toronto Raptors are 7-4 on the year.
Golden State is averaging 119.7 points per game and winning by an average of 14.7 points per game at home this season. In the last meeting between the clubs, the Warriors won 126-105 as Curry and Marreese Speights both had big games, combining for 58 points in the win. Draymond had a triple-double with 16 points, 13 assists and 11 boards.
Green had another triple-double on Saturday with 16 points, 12 dimes and 10 boards. He is listed as questionable with the flu.
If Green is unable to go, it may be Andre Iguodala who gets his minutes. He had 15 points and the game tying three in Saturday’s affair. Curry was just 13 of 31 from the field, but he has averaged 28.6 points and 10.4 assists in five home games against the Raptors.
DeMar DeRozan is wary of the Raptors falling into a lull of Curry’s cooking, commenting “We can’t get caught up in the Steph Curry show or the atmosphere of how it’s going to be in the arena,” referring to Oracle, by all standards the loudest and most supportive home crowd in the league.
The Raptors allow just 91.7 points per game, but a lot of those marks kind of go out the window against a high powered team like Golden State. Moreover, the Raptors allowed Sacramento to run the tables in a 107-101 win. The Kings shot 51 percent fro the floor and 40 percent on 25 three-point attempts.
Putting a similar effort forth against the Warriors is a recipe for disaster. This is the second game of a five-game Western Conference road trip for the Raptors, and the Warriors average 12.2 threes per game.
This game has all the makings of a blowout, whether Green is able to go or not. Thompson is clearly less than 100 percent, but this is a Warriors team with plenty of weapons and a deep bench. Even though the spread is already a double-digit mark, the Dubs are a good value to cover the 10-point spread based on past performances and just how good the club has been this season.