THE Toronto Raptors will face the Portland Trail Blazers for the second time this season on Saturday. Toronto, which lost 99-91 in October, hopes to avoid a sweep. The Raptors will be deprived Scottie BarnesBruce Brown and Jakob Poeltl, but they will face the equally injury-riddled Blazers.
Portland won’t have Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Jabari Walker and Malcolm Brogdon. The Blazers’ only two wins since February 2 have been against the Memphis Grizzlies who were missing four of their best players. Anfernee Simons, Kris Murray and Dalano Banton will hold down the Blazers’ fort amid injuries.
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The Raptors will count on Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Gary Trent Jr.. to lead the offense without Barnes. Kelly Olynyk and Chris Boucher will also need to step in to help with rebounding and defense in Poeltl’s absence. Toronto will relish its chance to end a two-game losing streak against another team hampered by injuries.
Toronto Raptors vs Portland Trail Blazers: Preview, Predictions and Betting Tips
The Blazers will host the Raptors at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, starting at 10 p.m. ET. ROOT SPORTS/ROOT SPORTS PLUS and TSN are the local networks that will cover the game. Streaming is also available by subscribing to the NBA League Pass.
Basketball fans can listen to SiriusXM, Rip City Radio 620 and Sportsnet 590 to follow the action.
Money line: Raptors (-120) vs. Blazers (+100)
Spread: Raptors (-1.5) vs. Blazers (+1.5)
Total (P/U): Raptors (o225.0 -110) vs. Blazers (u225.0 -110)
Editor’s note: The odds could change as the match approaches. Ratings have been listed based on information available at the time of writing.
Toronto Raptors vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Game Preview
Due to injuries to key players, the Toronto Raptors are rarely favored to win games. They will have that distinction Saturday against the even more injured Portland Trail Blazers. The Raptors must not neglect their opponents and continue to play through Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
Unsurprisingly, Toronto’s offense has stuttered without Barnes, but its defense needs to hold up. Portland still has aggressive and athletic players who can take advantage of their potential defensive mistakes.
The Blazers have nothing to lose. Anfernee Simons can carry them as much as he wants, but they are so undermanned that a heroic effort on his part may not matter. However, developing the right habits for rarely used players will be good for the team.
One player to watch is Dalano Banton who previously played for the Raptors. With Portland’s injuries increasing, he’s showing some of the potential that has enticed Toronto for years. He could have a big game against his former team and show them what they missed.
Toronto Raptors vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Starting Lineups
PF – Kelly Olynyk, SG -Gary Trent Jr., SF -RJ Barrett, SG – Emmanuel Quickley and g – Ochai Agbaji will start for the Toronto Raptors.
The Portland Trail Blazers will have PF -Toumane Camara, SF -Kris Murray, VS – Duop Reath, SG – Anfernée Simons And g – Dalano Banton will open the match.
Editor’s note: These are projected starting lineups, which could change depending on the availability of players uncertain to play.
Toronto Raptors vs Portland Trail Blazers: Betting Tips
Emmanuel Quickley gets a prop of 20.5 points over/under. The Toronto Raptors guard is averaging 18.0 PPG this month. Quickley’s job isn’t primarily to score, but with Scottie Barnes out, he’ll need to be aggressive putting down buckets. Against Portland’s depleted squad, he could recover from his points on Saturday.
RJ Barrett has a prop 22.5 point plus/minus. Like Quickley, the former New York Knicks star will have to collect his points to compensate for the absence of Barnes. The Blazers’ undermanned roster could also help him overcome his scoring prop.
Toronto Raptors vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Prediction
The Toronto Raptors have a deeper and better roster on paper against the Portland Trail Blazers. Toronto also showed more combativeness after the trade deadline than in previous months. Injuries to key players have not stopped this trend. They are likely to beat the depleted Portland Trail Blazers in the rematch.
