The Toronto Raptors (23-10) will try to prolong their 10-game home winning streak when they challenge the Atlanta Hawks (9-25), who look to end their five-game road losing streak. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, December 29, 2017, and will air on TSN2 Toronto.
Toronto is an 11-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 215 points.
Atlanta Hawks at Toronto Raptors Free Prediction
The Hawks come in on a high note after beating the Washington Wizards in their last matchup, 113-99. The Hawks, who came into the game averaging an offensive rebounding percentage of 21.4, had an absurd mark of 34.0 and had a turnover percentage of 9.3 (better than their season average of 14.0). With 21 points on 7-for-15 shooting, Dennis Schroder was the game’s high scorer.
In the Raptors’ last game, they were beaten by the Oklahoma City Thunder, 124-107. Oklahoma City won the rebounding battle. The Thunder had 15 offensive rebounds and 52 total rebounds, while the Raptors had seven and 34, respectively. With 13 points and 10 assists, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry put together a solid performance.
The productive offense of Toronto will clash against the bottom-tier defense of Atlanta. The Raptors currently rank fourth in offensive efficiency, while the Hawks are 28th in defensive efficiency. The Raptors figure to have the edge on that side of the ball.
Atlanta has a respectable record against the spread (19-14-1), despite being 9-25 straight up (SU). Of the Hawks’ 34 games, 15 have finished under, 18 have finished over and one has pushed.
Meanwhile, Toronto is 23-10 SU and 19-14 ATS. Contrary to Atlanta, Raptors games have finished under the total 51.5 percent of the time.
Kent Bazemore and Ersan Ilyasova have been playing well over the last five games for Atlanta. Bazemore has averaged 14.0 points, 5.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Not to be outdone, Ilyasova has put up 15.0 points a game during that span.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. Lowry recorded 15 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in the first matchup, in which the Raptors defeated the Hawks 112-78, covering as 6.5-point favorites. The game finished with a total of 190 points, which was 18 points below the projected point total of 208 points. The Raptors had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (30.6 vs. 16.7) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.625 vs. 0.387).
Atlanta Hawks vs. Toronto Raptors Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Raptors, ATS Winner – Raptors, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Atlanta is 10-6-1 ATS with 9 unders and 8 overs.
Toronto is 8-5 ATS at home with 7 overs and 6 unders.
Toronto is 10-3 when they hold opponents under 100 points, while Atlanta is 2-3.
The Raptors are 22-5 when they reach the century mark, while the Hawks are 9-14.
Toronto ranks third in three pointers allowed per game (25.9) while Atlanta ranks 27th (31.4).
The Raptors rank third in blocks per game (5.5) while the Hawks rank 23rd (4.0).
Toronto ranks first in points off turnovers per game (19.9) while Atlanta ranks 21st in points off turnovers allowed per game (17.9).
The Raptors rank fourth in fast break points per game (14.6) while the Hawks rank 22nd (9.3).
Toronto ranks 11th in assists allowed per game (21.9) while Atlanta ranks 29th (25.8).
The Raptors rank fifth in points in the paint per game (47.5) while the Hawks rank 22nd (41.5).
Toronto ranks fifth in steals per game (8.8) while Atlanta ranks 17th in steals allowed per game (8.1).
The Hawks average 12.0 second chance points per game, which ranks 16th in the league. The Raptors rank 26th in second chance points allowed per game (13.6).
Toronto ranks 19th in rebounds per game (42.2) while Atlanta ranks 28th (39.8).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Atlanta is 4-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Toronto is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Hawks have outscored opponents by an average of 2.4 points in their last five games. For the season, Atlanta has lost by an average of 4.4 points.
During their last five games, the Raptors have scored an average of 109.0 points per game (1.6 below their season average) and allowed an average of 105.6 points per game (2.7 above their season average).
