basketball | Wednesday, February 8, 2023 2:19 PM (Revised at: Wednesday, February 8, 2023 2:20 PM)

Toronto Raptors vs San Antonio Spurs Best Bet: Siakam Powers Raptors Again

Milan Stanojic

Toronto Raptors vs San Antonio Spurs Best Bet: Wednesday, February 8th

The Toronto Raptors welcome the San Antonio Spurs tonight at Scotiabank Arena tonight for a rematch of their encounter in early November. The Raptors easily took the win last time around, and the way the Spurs have been playing, it looks like we’ll be watching the same movie again. However, the spread is set a bit too high for my taste, and I’m looking at the player props market for value.

In this article:

Toronto Raptors vs San Antonio Spurs Preview
Toronto Raptors vs San Antonio Spurs Best Bet

Toronto Raptors vs San Antonio Spurs Preview

Thu, Feb 9th. 00:00 (UK time)

The Toronto Raptors have had a disappointing season so far, falling from 5th place in the east last year to 11th this year. They currently have a 25-30 record, but their schedule is looking very favourable moving forward and they have some potential to start winning. They have won their last 2 games against the Rockets and Grizzlies and are now coming back to Scotiabank Arena rested and ready to face the Spurs. Apart from Otto Porter Jr, their injury report is looking quite clean and the only questionable player for tonight is OG Anunoby.

The Raptors have been one of the slowest and most low-scoring teams in the league, but they have managed to get their offence going recently, averaging 116 points per game, whilst ranking 4th in offensive rating. One of the key pieces to the Raptors’ team this year has of course been Pascal Siakam, who has been averaging 24.7 points and 6.2 assists per game. Not every game is an offensive explosion for him, but when facing a weak defensive side like the Spurs, backing him can be a very good idea.

The San Antonio Spurs are in full-on rebuild mode this year, losing games left and right and sitting second-last in the West with a 14-40 record. The only team that has won fewer games have been the Houston Rockets. The Spurs are currently on a 9-game losing streak and have covered the spread in just 2. They are coming off a 128-104 loss to the Chicago Bulls and their play on the road has been terrible. The Spurs are 5-19 when playing away from home and their net rating is at -10.

The San Antonio Spurs have been struggling on both sides of the floor, but the basis for our tip tonight will be their defence – or lack thereof. The Spurs are ranked 30th in the NBA in defensive rating whilst allowing 122.6 points per game. Their opponents also average 26.6 assists per game (30th) and a shooting percentage of 51.2% from the field and 40.1% from beyond the arc.

Toronto Raptors vs San Antonio Spurs Best Bet

In their first encounter against the San Antonio Spurs, the Raptors came away with a 100-143 victory and I expect something similar to happen today. Pascal Siakam was one of the key reasons the Raptors dominated the way they did, recording 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. I expect another great performance out of the 28-year-old forward. Given that he already averages 6.2 assists per game, it’s more than reasonable to expect him to get over the 5.5 mark.