Blake Daniels, January 30, 2023

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The Toronto Raptors visit the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center on Monday night.

Toronto is 23-28 SU on the season and they are at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings and the only team in their division with a sub-.500 record. The Raptors are 12th in the Eastern Conference team standings but are just one game off the 10th seed and a spot in the play-in tournament. They are 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played.

Phoenix is 26-25 SU on the season and the Suns are 3rd in the Pacific Division team standings, 2.5 games behind the leaders Sacramento Kings. The Suns are currently 9th in the Western Conference team standings but are just one-half game behind the 5th seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. The Suns are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played.

This is the second game between these two teams this season with the Raptors beating the Suns 113-104 last December 30, 2022 in Toronto.

Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors bounced back from a 129-117 loss to the Golden State Warriors by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 123-105 a 3-point road underdogs last Saturday. The Raptors outscored the Blazers 35-22 in the fourth quarter to pull away and win their third in their last four games played.

Precious Achiuwa scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Toronto. Pascal Siakam scored 24 points while Scottie Barnes posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Fred VanVleet also had 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists in the victory. The Raptors made 52% of their shots while committing only 8 turnovers and scoring 68 points in the paint.

Toronto is ranked 10th in the league in adjusted offensive efficiency at 115.3 points per 100 possessions. They are 18th in scoring defense at 114.6 points per game allowed. The Raptors are scoring an average of 112.9 points per game while also grabbing 42.6 boards per contest and issuing 23.2 assists per game on the season.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns saw a four-game winning streak end against the Dallas Mavericks 99-95, losing as one-point home favorites. They bounced back last weekend with a 128-118 win over the San Antonio Spurs, taking the game in overtime after blowing a double-digit fourth quarter lead.

Chris Paul led the way for the Suns with 31 points and 11 assists. Mikal Bridges also added 25 points while Deande Ayton had 23 points and 8 rebounds. Cam Johnson added 15 points and Dario Saric grabbed 13 rebounds off the bench. Phoenix shot 48.5% from the field and had 31 assists versus 9 turnovers.

The Suns rank 12th in the NBA t 114.2 points per 100 possessions and are 8th in scoring defense at 112.9 points per game allowed. Phoenix is also scoring 112.9 points per game while grabbing 43.9 rebounds and issuing 27.0 assists per game this season.

Raptors vs Suns SU Prediction

The Raptors are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played against the Suns. Toronto is alo 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played in Phoenix.

Toronto Raptors SU trends:

• The Raptors are 3-1 SU in their last 4 games played.
• The Raptors are 8-16 SU in their last 24 games played on the road.
• The Raptors are 8-9 SU in their last 17 games played against the Western Conference.
• The Raptors are 3-5 SU in their last 8 road games against the Western Conference.
• The Raptors are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games played against the Pacific Division.

Phoenix Suns SU trends:

• The Suns are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games played.
• The Suns are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played at home.
• The Suns are 12-6 SU in their last 18 games played against the Atlantic Division.
• The Suns are 2-5 SU in their last 7 Monday games.
• The Suns are 6-11 SU in their last 17 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The Suns are 6-4 SU in their last 10 home games played against the Eastern Conference.

The Raptors improved to 2-1 in their current 7-game Western Conference swing with a 123-105 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers. Precious Achiuwa scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as he continues his strong play in the absence of OG Anunoby.

Achiuwa has scored 11 or more points in seven straight games and has recorded a double-double four times in his last five games played. He has started three out of those five games while playing in at least 28 minutes in each game. If he continues to play well on Monday, the Raptors will be in good shape here.

Pascal Siakam is averaging 25.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 6.4 RPG this season and Toronto has players like Barnes, VanVleet, and Gary Trent Jr. who can put up points as well.

The Suns lost 12 of 14 games played from December 20 to January 16. Devin Booker, who is averaging 27.1 points per game, and he missed all of those games. D-Book remains out with a groin injury and will be reevaluated next week.

Despite playing without Booker, the Suns have climbed back to the .500 spot. They are 5-1 SU and AT in their last six games played and are coming off a 128-118 win over the an Antonio Spurs. Six different players have scored at least 20 games in their last six games played.

The Suns are playing much better right now than they did during the past month. However, the patchwork system won’t work against a team like Toronto. The Raptors have the depth to beat this undermanned Suns team.

Prediction: Toronto Raptors +120

Raptors vs Suns ATS Prediction

The Raptors are 5-14 ATS in their last 19 games played against the Suns. Toronto is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games played in Phoenix.

Toronto Raptors ATS trends:

• The Raptors are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall
• The Raptors are 3-3 ATS in their last 6 games played on the road.
• The Raptors are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games played against the Western Conference.
• The Raptors are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games played against the Pacific Division.
• The Raptors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Raptors are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Raptors are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Raptors are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Raptors are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points.

Phoenix Suns ATS trends:

• The Suns are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
• The Suns are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games
• The Suns are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 January games.
• The Suns are 12-6 ATS in their last 18 games played against the Atlantic Division.
• The Suns are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game
• The Suns are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game
• The Suns are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest.
• The Suns are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Suns are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Suns are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 Monday games.
• The Suns are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games versus a team with a losing road record.
• The Suns are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game.

The Raptors will be without OG Anunoby again. However, Precious Achiuwa is coming off a 27-point game as Toronto beat the Sacramento Kings 123-05 behind a strong finishing kick. If Achiuwa continues to play well to help Pascal Siakam, the Raptors should be good here.

The Suns recently got Chris Paul back and they have won and covered five out of their last six games played. Despite that, they are missing half of their roster, and should struggle against the depth of the Raptors.

Toronto has had success against Phoenix in their recent head-to-head meetings. That should continue on Monday night against the still-short-handed Suns. I’ll take the Raptors to win this game outright.

Prediction: Raptors +2.5

Raptors vs Suns Over/Under Prediction

The total has gone under in six out of the last 10 games played between these two teams. The over is 4-1 in their last 5 games played in Phoenix.

Toronto Raptors over/under trends:

• The over is 7-2 in the Raptors’ last 9 road games.
• The over is 4-0 in the Raptors’ last 4 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points.
• The over is 9-2 in the Raptors’ last 11 games following a ATS win.
• The over is 4-1 in the Raptors’ last 5 road games versus a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600.
• The over is 7-2 in the Raptors’ last 9 games following a straight up win.
• The over is 6-2 in the Raptors’ last 8 road games versus a team with a winning home record.
• The over is 5-2 in the Raptors’ last 7 games playing on 1 days rest.
• The under is 13-6 in the Raptors’ last 19 Monday games.

Phoenix Suns over/under trends:

• The under is 7-2 in the Suns’ last 9 home games.
• The under is 6-1 in the Suns’ last 7 home games against a team with a losing road record.
• The under is 4-1 in the Suns’ last 5 games following a straight up win.Under is 4-1 in the Suns’ last 5 home games against a team with a road winning percentage of less than .400.
• The under is 4-1 in the Suns’ last 5 games versus a team with a losing straight up record.
• The under is 5-2 in the Suns’ last 7 games following a ATS win.
• The under is 6-2 in the Suns’ last 8 games played against the Atlantic Division.
• The over is 25-12 in the Suns’ last 37 games after scoring more than 125 points in their previous game
• The over is 5-1 in the Suns’ last 6 Monday games.

These two teams are in the bottom 10 of the league in pace with the Suns ranked 22nd at 98.0 possessions per 48 minutes and the Raptors 27th at 97.1 possessions per 48 minutes. Then there are also the injuries on both sides. Toronto is without Anunoby while the Suns are without several players so I can’t expect this to be a high-scoring game.

The under is 6-2 in the Suns’ last 8 games against the East. Also, six out of the last nine games between these teams, including their first meeting of the current season, have gone under.

Phoenix has allowed 110 or fewer points four times in their last five outings while Toronto has conceded 106 or fewer thrice in their last five games played. Give me the under.

Prediction: Under 228