Orlando’s four-game skid came to an end on Thursday, beating Miami 133-124. A 20-6 run in the third quarter saw Orlando take a 90-81 lead and they stayed in front for the entire fourth quarter to round out the win in what was the team’s best offensive performance in over two weeks. Anthony Black was the standout performer again, with 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks, while Paolo Banchero had 31 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in a good showing. Desmond Bane shot well for his 23 points and five assists and Jalen Suggs recorded 16 points, five rebounds and four assists in a good night out for Orlando’s starters.
Toronto were thumped 92-119 by New York on Thursday, as the wheels well and truly fell off in the second half. Leading 66-55 early in the third quarter, things came tumbling down on both ends for Toronto from there, giving up a mammoth 14-42 run to see the visitors power away for what ended up being a comfortable victory. It ended up being an ugly offensive evening for the hosts, with a 96.8 offensive rating courtesy of some poor shooting and equally poor ball handling. The hosts coughed up 20 turnovers and had an eFG% of just 44.1%, with RJ Barrett being the main culprit in a 3/13 shooting night. Immanuel Quickley went 3/9 and had five turnovers in a messy performance, which took away from a strong Brandon Ingram game, consisting of 27 points and three steals.
With two teams in the top half of the league in time to shot facing off, we are set for a fast-paced game in Orlando. With a near-full-health team, Toronto’s offence will be desperate to redeem themselves after Thursday’s disappointment and that will set us up for a track meet.
Orlando’s four-game skid came to an end on Thursday, beating Miami 133-124. A 20-6 run in the third quarter saw Orlando take a 90-81 lead and they stayed in front for the entire fourth quarter to round out the win in what was the team’s best offensive performance in over two weeks. Anthony Black was the standout performer again, with 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks, while Paolo Banchero had 31 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in a good showing. Desmond Bane shot well for his 23 points and five assists and Jalen Suggs recorded 16 points, five rebounds and four assists in a good night out for Orlando’s starters.
Toronto were thumped 92-119 by New York on Thursday, as the wheels well and truly fell off in the second half. Leading 66-55 early in the third quarter, things came tumbling down on both ends for Toronto from there, giving up a mammoth 14-42 run to see the visitors power away for what ended up being a comfortable victory. It ended up being an ugly offensive evening for the hosts, with a 96.8 offensive rating courtesy of some poor shooting and equally poor ball handling. The hosts coughed up 20 turnovers and had an eFG% of just 44.1%, with RJ Barrett being the main culprit in a 3/13 shooting night. Immanuel Quickley went 3/9 and had five turnovers in a messy performance, which took away from a strong Brandon Ingram game, consisting of 27 points and three steals.
With two teams in the top half of the league in time to shot facing off, we are set for a fast-paced game in Orlando. With a near-full-health team, Toronto’s offence will be desperate to redeem themselves after Thursday’s disappointment and that will set us up for a track meet.
New York picked up their fourth win on the bounce, coming back to thump Toronto 119-92. Against an in-form Toronto team, it was an impressive win from Mike Brown’s men and continued their elite defensive play, with a league-best 96.9 defensive rating over their past four games. OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and even Landry Shamet had some impressive defensive moments, while Mikal Bridges starred on the other end, shooting the lights out for 30 points and four assists. Anunoby did it all, with 26 points, five assists, six steals and two blocks and Hart notched up 22 points and six assists to help New York dominate the second half and pick up the win.
Portland have cooled off after a hot burst to have lost their last three matchups, most recently falling to Washington 111-115. It was a relatively tight contest throughout, especially in the fourth quarter as the two teams traded blows, but in giving up 15 points in the last 3:40 of play, Portland gave themselves almost no chance of leaving the capital with the win. Earlier on in the contest though, it was their offence that let them down, finishing the game with a lowly 104.8 offensive rating courtesy of their third-worst shooting night of the season. Their 45.0% eFG% came on the back of a tough offensive night from Donovan Clingan, whose 6/17 shooting was brutal for a big man, while Jrue Holiday went 2/14 from the field in an absolute stinker. Shaedon Sharpe had 31 points in a big night and Deni Avdija was up-and-down with his 16 points and nine boards.
We’ve really seen New York tighten the screws defensively of late, and they will have plenty of success on that end against this middling Portland outfit. We’ve seen plenty of low-scoring contests in Portland’s recent contests, with the under hitting in seven of their last 10 games, and the under is 8-2 in NY’s last 10. At a relatively high 226.5-point line, the under is again the play here.