Two of the National Basketball League’s coldest teams will get a golden opportunity to snap their losing streak when the Toronto Raptors travel to Oakland to match up with the Golden State Warriors. While the Warriors have been long eliminated from the postseason dance in the Western conference, the Raptors current drop off has forced them from a comfortable position in the fifth spot in the Eastern conference down to just a game and a half ahead of the Chicago Bulls for a playoff spot. Toronto has lost seven of its last eight, including three straight, and both of its first two of a four-game road swing out west. The Warriors are losers of six in a row and eight of their last nine and play their second of four straight at home after losing all five on a trip down south.
Toronto Raptors @ Golden State Warriors
Saturday March 13, 2010
5dimes Reviews Odds: Raptors -4
Towards the beginning of February, the Raptors finally seemed to be coming together as a team and establishing an identity. Toronto had won 10 of 12 games to close to within four games of the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the Atlantic division. However, All-Star forward Chris Bosh went down with injury just before the team encountered one of its toughest stretches in the schedule with home dates against Portland and Cleveland, before traveling to Oklahoma City to take on the fast rising Thunder. They lost the three games by a combined 42 points, and even with Chris Bosh back have bookend losses to Philadelphia and Sacramento around a close loss to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Despite playing one of the weaker teams in the Western conference, the Raptors have lost five straight at Oracle arena, and cannot underestimate the high-flying Warriors.
Golden State boasts one of the best backcourt tandems in the league, with Western conference rookie of the month Stephen Curry and run-and-gun guard Monta Ellis averaging more combined points per game than any other duo in the NBA, as well as the second most combined rebounds, and most steals per game for starters with at least 45 games and 28 points per game combined. Curry and forward Anthony Morrow can both score from beyond the arc as both have put up perfect six-three ball games this season. Golden State ranks first in steals, fast-break points, points off turnovers, and turnovers forced per game this season, but despite playing an exciting style have yet to mature enough to put together a complete effort on a consistent basis.
NBA Betting Pick: Raptors
NBA Betting Lines Over/Under:
This game features two of the top five teams in NBA scoring. The Warriors rank third with a 107.2 average, while the Raptors rank just one spot back in fourth with an average of 104 points per game. Both teams rank among the best in field goal percentage and in shooting from beyond the arc, and with Toronto not being at its best defensively in the month of March, these two teams may be involved in a shootout to determine the winner.
Pick: Over
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