New Orleans has one of the worst defenses in the NBA, their rim protection at the center position is lackluster, and their backcourt defense is lacking as well. Whether it is Derik Queen or DeAndre Jordan starting at the center spot, it is a huge weak point in their defense, along with Zion Williamson who is not the best mover on that end.
Brandon Ingram had a nice putback dunk to get Toronto on the board right away. It ended up being his only two points for the half, but he found ways to help the team as a facilitator and on defence, even when his offence was a struggle.
These two teams average a combined 233.4 points per game, 15.9 more points than the over/under of 217.5 set for this matchup. Opponents of these teams have averaged a combined 219.4 points per game, 1.9 more than the over/under in this game. The average total the Thunder have had set in games this year is 10.4 more points than this outing's point total. The average total in Toronto's games this year is 11.2 more points than the point total of 217.5 in this outing.
Sunday's over/under for Brandon Ingram is 24.5. That's 2.5 more than his season average. He has collected 5.8 rebounds per game, 0.3 higher than his prop bet on Sunday. Ingram averages 3.7 assists, 0.2 more than Sunday's prop bet (3.5). He has hit 1.8 three-pointers per game, 0.7 less than his over/under on Sunday. Immanuel Quickley Props The 17.0 points Immanuel Quickley scores per game are 0.5 more than his prop total on Sunday.
Currently, the Raptors belong to a very specific and defined middle class in the league. One that likely neither expects to win in the playoffs nor in the lottery. Losing to the Detroit Pistons in their final game before the break was part of a season-long pattern: And the Raptors, finally close to full health for the first time in months, once again saw how much further up the mountain they'll have to climb to accomplish their goals.
Boucher didn't see game action in the final 23 games in his last season with Toronto, and it wasn't because of poor play. The 33-year-old was Toronto's leading bench scorer at 10.0 points per game while chipping in 4.5 rebounds, and was having one of his best shooting seasons, converting at 36.3 per cent from three-point range (3.9 attempts) while hitting at a 63.3 per cent clip from inside the arc. Among Raptors regulars, his +4.9 net rating was second.
We are back for week 10 of the Top 10 Raptors Plays of the Week, as Toronto heads into the All-Star break with a 32-23 record after only winning 30 games all of last season. It's been a tough limp into the All-Star break with a bunch of double-digit leads being thrown by the Raptors, and of course, the record should be better, but let's take a moment to appreciate that Toronto is currently in a fight for a top 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. The week kicked off with one of the thrown leads at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves, to the Chicago Bulls game that was nationally televised for the Americans for some reason, to a Super Bowl Sunday victory against a familiar foe, and finally an embarrassing blowout loss against the top-seeded Pistons at home.
Taking a flier on Sochan would seem like a low-risk upside play. He was the No. 9 pick in the NBA Draft less than four years ago; perhaps they could unlock his potential in a new situation and pick up a talented forward for nothing? Fat chance. Jeremy Sochan is washed up already For starters, the reason that the Spurs moved on from Sochan was that his complete and utter lack of shooting and scoring ability made him unplayable.
The conversation this week was dominated by Thursday's trade deadline. Ahead of the deadline there was endless conversation about what the Raptors may or may not do, and afterwards the praise or criticism of what they did do replaced that. I'm mostly just glad that it's over, and that now we can focus on the second-half playoff push with the team that's here. A team that may soon see the return of Jakob Poeltl.
Matchup wise, Scottie Barnes has the advantage tonight. His big and broad frame barreling downhill is a lot for most teams to handle, but with Indiana not having a large wing to throw on him, it will make his drives even more fruitful. Pascal Siakam or Aaron Nesmith may get the assignment tonight, depending on how Rick Carlisle wants to guard Brandon Ingram, but whomever it is on Barnes, he will have the size advantage.
I have no intention of slamming Domantas Sabonis. I completely acknowledge that he's a former three-time All-Star, two appearances on the All-NBA Third Team, and a two-time league rebounding leader (something the Raps could desperately use). When healthy and in a system that maximizes his skillset, he can look like one of the league's most dynamic bigs. But at the same time, Sabonis can prove to be a defensive pitfall for his team, and he's earning a substantial salary over the next three seasons.
