Andre Drummond was at his stat-sheet-stuffing best, as he paced the Detroit Pistons to a 102-96 win in Dallas. The big fella had ten points and four rebounds in the first quarter, finishing with 25 points and 17 rebounds for his 17th double-double in the last 18 games. More importantly, the combined 42 points and boards was miles over the line of 32.5. The Big Dog will not be forgetting about Dre, if that form line keeps up. A fairly underwhelming Friday of only four games still provides a “Play of the Day”, with a strong home team hosting a conference rival that is closing a five-game road trip.
Atlanta Hawks @ Toronto Raptors
The Atlanta Hawks conclude a five game road trip and are aiming for their fourth win in a row, as they travel to Toronto on Thursday night. Since opening the trip with a 109-105 overtime loss to Golden State, they have handled the Lakers, Clippers and Jazz with relative ease. Their last meeting with the Raptors would strongly suggest that there will be nothing easy about this game. Toronto have won 13 of their last 14 home games and seven of nine overall, on the back of a defence that remains in the top five for points allowed (98.3). Atlanta has also been locked-in on the defensive end, allowing just 86.5 points per game over their last six. The last meeting between these two teams, won 96-86 by the Raptors in Atlanta, provides the basis for today’s selection. Rebounding played large in that contest, as the Raptors won the battle of the boards 50-43 and shot considerably better from the floor (+8.9%), which accounted for Atlanta having a plus-ten advantage in assists. Toronto are 32-1 this season when they lead in field goal percentage and 31-6 when they lead in rebounding. The Hawks are 32-7 and 17-5 in those same scenarios. The biggest individual battle (and arguably the Raptors’ biggest advantage) will be between Kyle Lowry and Jeff Teague. Lowry dominated the last encounter, with 31 points on 9 of 17 shooting, to go with five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Teague had ten assists but could only manage 11 points on 5 of 16 from the floor. The Big Dog expects that the combination of home court, a level of road fatigue from the Hawks and the form of Kyle Lowry should be more than enough to see the Raptors cover what is a pretty modest spread.
Selection
Toronto Raptors -4.0 @ $1.95 (William Hill)
Tools
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