NBA Picks: Toronto Raptors at San Antonio Spurs
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
The San Antonio Spurs will look to build on their league-best 35-6 mark in the first half of the season when they host the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night. San Antonio is 20-9 all-time against Toronto.
The Raptors blew a 12-point lead in the second half against the Hornets on Monday, falling 85-81. It was the Raptors fourth straight loss, and third straight away from home.
San Antonio beat Denver 110-97 on Sunday for their seventh straight win and 15th straight at home. The Spurs 35-6 start to the season, is the third-best all-time by any NBA team.
Taking a look at the NBA spreads for this game, oddsmakers have the Spurs favored by 12-points with the total set at 204.5.
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The Raptors have had to deal with a number of injuries this season, but hope to have Jerryd Bayless back after he missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Bayless however doesn’t figure to give Toronto much of a spark, the forward is averaging just eight points a game this season, and has scored in double figures just twice since putting up 20 on the Bobcats back on Dec. 14.
DeMar DeRozan had a team-high 23 points in the loss to the Hornets, and Amir Johnson added 17 points and eight rebounds. Jose Calderon failed to score a single point, but did have 13 assists.
Toronto really played well on the defensive end against the Hornets, as they limited New Orleans to just 39% shooting, but gave up 19 offensive rebounds and turned the ball over 16 times. The Raptors simply don’t have the talent to give team easy opportunities on missed shots and turnovers, especially against a team like San Antonio.
The Spurs hold a comfortable 8.5 game lead over the Mavericks in the Southwest Division, but it doesn’t appear that this team is slowing down at all. San Antonio also has a five game lead over the Lakers for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Tony Parker led the way with 30 points against the Nuggets, and Manu Ginobili had 18 points and seven assists. Tim Duncan scored had just nine points, but had 16 rebounds and three blocks. The Spurs also got 14 points a piece from George Hill and Gary Neal off the bench.
San Antonio is 20-2 at home this season, with their only two losses coming against the Mavericks and Hornets. Toronto on the other hand is just 5-16 on the road. The Raptors poor play has got them a lot of big spreads on the road, and they have managed to go 11-8 ATS away from home. Still the Spurs rarely have let downs, and its hard to see the Raptors keeping it close enough to cover in this one.
For more help with who to take in the NBA this season, check out what our expert NBA handicappers have to offer in their daily NBA picks.
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