NBA Game Preview: Toronto Raptors at Golden State Warriors

Jan 27, 2023

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Game: Toronto Raptors @ Golden State Warriors

Time: 10:00 p.m.

Odds: Raptors +5.5, Warriors -5.5

Total: 236.5

It was 2019 when the Raptors and Warriors gave us one of the more memorable NBA Finals. Toronto, of course, prevented Golden State from winning a third straight league championship that year. The two teams will meet again tonight in San Francisco as both teams look to build on recent successes.

Toronto started off a long seven-game road trip with a nice 113-95 win over Sacramento on Wednesday night. Pascal Siakam was the star for the Raptors scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, but it was Toronto’s defense that was the real key. The Raptors forced 19 Kings’ turnovers. Fred VanVleet, who along with Siakam is the only other remaining member of that 2019 championship team, has four of Toronto’s 12 steals. The win was the second straight for the Raptors.

In the NBA Finals in 2019, it was Toronto’s defense that stymied the high-scoring Warriors. In six games, the Raptors did not allow Golden State to score more than 110 points. Toronto will look to do the same tonight. The Raptors are ninth in points allowed (112.1) this season while Golden State is the third-ranked (117.7) scoring team in the NBA.

In Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL. Since then, he has faced Toronto just once. On Wednesday, Thompson played a key role in Golden State’s stirring 122-120 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at home. His three-pointer with 14.1 seconds left gave the Warriors a two-point lead that they later lost on a dunk by Brandon Clarke. Jordan Poole converted a layup to win the game for Golden State.

The win over Memphis snapped a four-game home losing streak and got the Warriors back to .500 at 24-24 for the season. Leading scorer Stephen Curry finished with 34 points. Curry would end up being ejected from the game after throwing his mouthpiece in frustration over Poole launching an ill-advised 30-foot three-pointer with 1:14 left in the game.

The Warriors have only won four of their last ten games and they will attempt to win two straight contests for the first time since January 2. In their six meetings since the 2019 NBA Finals, the Raptors and Warriors have alternated wins and losses. Golden State defeated Toronto in December 126-110 despite Stephen Curry’s absence due to a dislocated left shoulder. In that victory, Poole scored a season-high 43 points.

Toronto is 7-3 ATS in its last ten games, but the Raptors are 2-4 ATS in their last six against Golden State. In Friday night games at home, the Warriors have won five straight. However, Golden State is 0-5 ATS in their last five home games.

Both teams trend Over. Toronto’s O/U record for the season is 26-22-1 while Golden State’s is 27-19-2. The total has gone Over in five of the last seven games between these two teams. In the last 16 head-to-head matchups played at Golden State, the Over is 12-4. The Over is 6-3 in Toronto’s last nine games and 6-1 in the Raptors’ last seven games on the road.

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