3rd Quarter Report
The Thunder are on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Raptors 89-78.
The Thunder entered the match having won three straight and they're just one quarter away from another. Will they make it four, or will the Raptors step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.
Who's Playing
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Toronto Raptors
Current Records: Oklahoma City 48-20, Toronto 23-46
How To Watch
- When: Friday, March 22, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Scotiabank Arena -- Toronto, Ontario
- TV: The Sports Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $51.76
What to Know
The Raptors will be in front of their home fans on Friday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday. The Raptors are staggering into the game hobbled by eight consecutive losses, while the Thunder will skip in buoyed by three consecutive wins.
It's hard to win when you don't work as a unit and post 11 fewer assists than your opponent, a fact the Raptors found out the hard way on Wednesday. Things couldn't have gone much worse for them as they lost 123-89 to Sacramento. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points the Raptors have scored all season.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma City earned a 119-107 victory over the Jazz on Wednesday.
The Thunder can attribute much of their success to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 31 points along with seven assists and four steals, and Chet Holmgren, who dropped a double-double on 35 points and 14 rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander didn't help the Thunder's cause all that much against the Grizzlies on Saturday but the same can't be said for this matchup.
Toronto has traveled a rocky road recently having lost ten of their last 11 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 23-46 record this season. As for Oklahoma City, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 48-20 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Raptors haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 13 turnovers per game. However, it's not like the Thunder (currently ranked second in turnovers per game) struggle in that department as they've been averaging only 11.5 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Raptors came up short against the Thunder in their previous matchup back in February, falling 135-127. Will the Raptors have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Odds
Oklahoma City is a big 15-point favorite against Toronto, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Thunder as a 15.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 230.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Oklahoma City has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Toronto.
- Feb 04, 2024 - Oklahoma City 135 vs. Toronto 127
- Mar 16, 2023 - Toronto 128 vs. Oklahoma City 111
- Nov 11, 2022 - Oklahoma City 132 vs. Toronto 113
- Feb 09, 2022 - Toronto 117 vs. Oklahoma City 98
- Dec 08, 2021 - Oklahoma City 110 vs. Toronto 109
- Apr 18, 2021 - Toronto 112 vs. Oklahoma City 106
- Mar 31, 2021 - Oklahoma City 113 vs. Toronto 103
- Jan 15, 2020 - Toronto 130 vs. Oklahoma City 121
- Dec 29, 2019 - Oklahoma City 98 vs. Toronto 97
- Mar 22, 2019 - Oklahoma City 116 vs. Toronto 109