The Toronto Raptors take the league’s best record to Florida where they take on the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center on Tuesday 11/20/18.
The Raptors are coming off a 122-83 annihilation of the Chicago Bulls last Saturday while the Magic are fresh off a 131-117 victory over the New York Knicks last Sunday.
The Toronto Raptors had the best start in the league at 12-1 but they suffered three straight losses to the Pelicans, Pistons and Celtics. The Raptors bounced back with a rout of the Chicago Bulls last November 17th to break out of their skid. They will play the third of a four game road trip at Orlando.
Kawhi Leonard leads the Raptors in scoring with his 28.4 points per game scoring average. The former two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year is shooting 47.3% from the field and 34% from behind the arc while also pacing the team with 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Leonard sat out the Raptors’ last game against the Chicago Bulls due to rest as the Raptors have been cautious with his return from a quad injury.
Toronto ranks 4th in the league in scoring at 116.8 points per game and they are also 8th in the NBA in assists with their 24.9 dimes per contest average. On defense, the Raptors allow 108.4 points per game which is the 10th best scoring defense in the NBA. The Raptors are also 8th in rebounds at 46.9 caroms per outing.
After a slow start, Orlando has been weaving its magic lately. The Magic enter this game on a three game winning streak beating the Sixers, Lakers and Knicks in succession at home. Overall, the Magic have won seven out of their last 10 games and have won four in a row at the Amway Center
Nikola Vucevic has been hot during this streak, averaging 31.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Vucevic leads the Magic in scoring and rebounding with 20.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, respectively. The former USC product also leads Orlando in field goal percentage with his 55.6% shooting clip. Vucevic is also displaying his range again this season, making 1.1 three pointers per game on a 45.2% accuracy.
The Magic rank 21st in team scoring at 107.5 points per game while they are #5 in the entire league in assists at 26.2 helpers per night. Orlando has the 12th best scoring defense in the NBA at 109.5 points per game but they rank only 23rd in the entire league in rebounds with their 42.6 rebounds per game average.
The Raptors lead their all-time series against the Magic 44-37. Toronto has won seven out of the last nine meetings between these two teams including the last four. The Raptors swept the Magic 3-0 in last season’s regular season series and won the two games played in Orlando last season. The last time these two teams met was on April 8, 2018 with Toronto winning 112-101.
Toronto is 13-4 SU in their last 17 games played and 5-1 SU in their last 6 games played at home. The Magic are 5-1 SU in their last five games played and 5-6 SU in their 11 games played at home this season. Head to head, The Raptors are 18-3 SU in their last 21 games against the Magic and Toronto is also 9-2 SU in their last 11 road games against Orlando.
Orlando is one of the surprises at this stage of the season with their 9-8 record. They enter this gave having won four out of their last five games and are currently on a three game winning streak. Orlando has big wins over the Sixers and Lakers during this current run and they have proven that they can put up the points.
But Toronto is also coming off a landslide win over the Chicago Bulls. The win came after the Raptors lost three straight games for the first time this season. Toronto is considered one of the top contenders in the East this season and as such, they should have their way with the Magic here. Orlando has a mediocre 6-5 home record while the Raptors are solid 6-2 road warriors. With Kawhi Leonard well-rested after taking their last game off, I don’t see any reason why the Raptors can’t take care of business. We’re picking the Toronto Raptors to beat the Orlando Magic on 11/20/18.
The Raptors are 2-3-1 SU in their last six games played and 4-3-1 ATS in their 8 road games played this season. Meanwhile, the Magic are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games played and 5-6 ATS in their 11 home games played this season. Head to head, Toronto is 3-7-1 in their last 11 games against Orlando and the Magic are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games against the Raptors.
Toronto has won the last four games between these teams by an average winning margin of 12.5 points with no winning margin lower than 7 points. Toronto has covered the spread in four out of their last five wins and they have been a solid 6-2 on the road this season. With Leonard coming off a rest, the Raptors should be at their deadliest against the Magic on Tuesday. Prediction: Raptors -6 (-109)
The total has gone over in 12 out of the last 18 games played by the Raptors while the under is 4-2 in their last 6 road games. On the other hand, the total has gone over in four out of the Magic’s last six games and the under is 7-4 in their 11 home games. Head to head, total has gone under in 8 out of the last 12 games between these two teams and the under is 6-1 in the last seven games between these two teams in Orlando.
Although they are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, the Raptors play the 8th fastest pace in the league and have the 3rd best offensive rating in the NBA with 114.2 points per 100 possessions. The over is 11-5 in their 16 games this season. On the other hand, the Magic have been scorching lately, averaging 119.2 points per game in their last 5 games. Toronto can shut down the Magic but if they want a shootout, the Raptors will gladly oblige. I think Orlando continues to play and score well at home but the Raptors have too much firepower for them. Prediction: Over 222 -109
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
