I’m now 6-6 in Raptors picks as the Los Angeles Lakes (+7) defeated Toronto 129-122 in overtime on Sunday night. Tonight the Raptors play on the road at the 9-8 Sacramento Kings.
(13-4) Toronto Raptors @ (9-8) Sacramento Kings
Probable starting line-ups:
Toronto – PG – Kyle Lowry SG – Greivis Vasquez C – Jonas Valanciunas SF – Terrence Ross PF – Amir Johnson
Sacramento – Point Guard – Darren Collison Shooting Guard – Ben McLemore C- DeMarcus Cousins Small Forward – Rudy Gay Power Forward – Jason Thompson
Stats Leaders:
Toronto – PPG – DeMar DeRozan 19.4 RPG – Jonas Valanciunas 8.6 APG – Kyle Lowry 6.6
Sacramento – Points Per Game – DeMarcus Cousins 23.5 Rebounds Per Game – DeMarcus Cousins 12.6 Assists Per Game – Darren Collison 6.6
Team Scoring: (with league ranking in parentheses)
Toronto – PF – 108.5 (2nd) PA – 98.9 (14th)
Sacramento – Points For (Per Game) – 101.2 (12th) Points Against (Per Game) – 100.6 (21st)
Overview:
After only losing 2 of their first 15 games the Toronto Raptors have now lost 2 straight games. On Sunday they were defeated in overtime at the Lakers 129-122. Point guard Kyle Lowry led the team in scoring with 29 points on 10 of 28 shooting in 41 minutes. He was 8 of 12 from the free throw line. He also dished out 9 assists and grabbed 6 rebounds. Small forward Terrence Ross netted 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting in 38 minutes. He made 4 of 7 from the 3 point line. Ross also had 5 rebounds. Point guard Greivis Vasquez scored 19 points on 8 of 16 shooting in 34 minutes. Shooting guard Louis Williams chipped in with 19 points on 5 of 17 shooting in 26 minutes off the bench. The team shot 43.3% from the field, 26.5% from 3 point line (9-34), and 74.2% from the free throw line (23-31). They were out-rebounded by the slimmest of margins, 54-53. The Raptors were down 9 at the half. Toronto is 4-2 on the road this season. Tonight is the 2nd game of 3 game Western Conference road trip.
The Sacramento Kings come in to tonight’s game losers of their last 3. Small forward Rudy Gay led the team in scoring with 20 points on 7 of 14 shooting in 33 minutes. He was 6 of 7 from the foul line. Shooting guard Ben McLemore scored 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting in 41 minutes of action. Power forward Reggie Evans had a double-double with 17 points and 20 rebounds. He was 7 of 10 from the field in 35 minutes. Point guard Darren Collison chipped in with 16 points on 6 of 14 shooting in 38 minutes. He also had 7 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. The team shot 47.1% from the field, 9.1% from the 3 point line (1-11), and 66.7% from the free throw line (18-27). The team out-rebounded the Grizzlies 42-35. The Kings were down 16 at the half and made an impressive rally in the 3rd quarter that ultimately fell short. Sacramento is 4-3 at home this season. Tonight is the 2nd game of a 5 game home stand.
Toronto and Sacramento split their 2 meetings last season. After tonight the teams are scheduled to play 1 more time this season, Wednesday January 28th at Toronto. The Kings have won the 4 last meetings in Sacramento. The last Raptors’ win in Sacramento was on Friday December 26th, 2008.
Prediction:
The Raptors struggle when they play in Sacramento and their loss versus the Lakers could prove that life without DeRozan is going to be even more difficult than they imagined. I can see Rudy Gay having a big game against one of his former clubs. Take the Kings -1 (1.95) (Bet365)
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