The Toronto Raptors continue their four-game road trip, stopping at the Footprint Center on Monday night to take on the Phoenix Suns.
It will be the second half of a back-to-back for both teams, with the Dinos coming in having their three-game win streak snapped last night 105-102 to the Portland Trail Blazers, while the Suns will return home after a rough loss to the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday, 107-96.
Raptors Outlook: 24-44 | 11th in Eastern Conference | Off rating: 110.1 (26th) | Def rating: 114.6 (19th) | Net rating: -4.5 (24th)
Raptors Previous Results
@ Portland L 105-102
@ Utah W 126-118
vs Philadelphia W 118-105
vs Washington W 119-104
vs Washington L 118-117
Toronto comes into tonight’s matchup playing some of their best ball of the year, albeit against some shaky competition, to say the least. Though the Raps’ three-game winning streak was snapped last night thanks to a game-saving block by Portland forward Matisse Thybulle, Toronto had won six of their last seven games before facing the Trail Blazers.
The recent run has been propped up by Canada’s team’s defence, boasting the best defensive rating in the association since mid-January. It’s been a miraculous turnaround, as Toronto held the worst defensive rating in the league through the first 38 games of the season, per Keerthika Uthayakumar.
Suns Outlook: 31-37 | 11th in Western Conference | Off rating: 114.7 (9th) | Def rating: 116.7 (27th) | Net rating: -1.9 (19th)
Suns Previous Results
@ Los Angeles (Lakers) L 107-96
vs Sacramento W 122-106
@ Houston L 111-104
@ Memphis L 120-118
@ Dallas W 125-116
Phoenix will start a five-game homestand by welcoming in Canada’s team after going 2-3 in their last five.
They find themselves in the midst of a play-in battle, currently on the outside looking in, holding the 11th seed. They seem primed to catch the Dallas Mavericks, who currently hold the final play-in spot, with a record of 33-36. They have been ravaged by injuries, reflected in the fact the team is 2-8 in their last 10.
A win would go a long way in closing that 1.5-game gap between Dallas. Winning has been a struggle for Phoenix lately, however, and frankly, all season. The Suns are 6-15 since Feb. 1, mainly because of how poor the teams’ defence has been. They currently hold a bottom-five defence in the association, with teams like the Brooklyn Nets (22-45), Philadelphia 76ers (23-44), and even the Raptors all having better defensive ratings.
Game Info
Tip-Off: 10:00 p.m. ET
Television: TSN
Radio: TSN 1050
Phoenix Suns
PG: Tyus Jones
SG: Devin Booker
SF: Ryan Dunn
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Nick Richards
Toronto Raptors
PG: Immanuel Quickley
SG: Ochai Agbaji
SF: RJ Barrett
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Jakob Poeltl
Suns
Bradley Beal (Hamstring) – Questionable
Monte Morris (Back) – Questionable
Grayson Allen (Foot) – Questionable
Raptors
RJ Barrett (Ilness) – Questionable
Ja’Kobe Walter (Hip) – Out
Ulrich Chomche (Knee) – Out
Brandon Ingram (Ankle) – Out
Gradey Dick (Knee) – Out
TeamSpreadMoneyTotalPhoenix Suns-9 (-110)-375O 227 (-110)Toronto Raptors+9 (-110)+300U 227 (-110)
*Odds as of Mar. 17, 12:00 am ET*
All Toronto Raptors odds are provided by NBA Betting Site Betway!
