The 36-29 Raptors will be hosting the 39-27 Suns tonight at 7:30 PM EST. The Raptors have listed Scottie Barnes as Questionable and Collin Murray-Boyles as Doubtful.
The Raptors are 4.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 218.5 points.
Suns vs. Raptors prediction, preview
Phoenix is coming into this one hot, taking their fourth straight win on the road in Indiana, where Devin Booker popped for 43 while Jalen Green added 36. Booker has been averaging 31.8 PPG over his last five games, which certainly has helped the Suns in their recent win streak. This Booker/Green fit is beginning to look less like two midrange-oriented scorers taking turns, and more like a real cohesive duo lately. Booker is still the main priority for defenses, but Green has come alive lately due to the breathing room that Booker has given him. Green has now put up 24+ points in four straight games, and has increased his shooting on the season to .398%. There’s still plenty of work to be done here, from an efficiency standpoint, but it’s real progress. This duo forces tons of pressure on the midrange, and by drawing defenders close and away from the Suns’ perimeter and paint players, they can find easy assists by kicking it out or threading it in close to the roll man near the basket. And it’s obvious that Green benefits from Booker’s presence: Green is shooting 44% from the field with Booker and is +75 in those minutes, versus 29.8% and -34 without him.
The Raptors have been cold from three point distance in their last 10 games, putting up 31.7 3PA while hitting only 34.1%. They still have a good record, but are still missing some juice on offense to push them into contention. They’re 20th in OFFRTG with 113.6, and 6th in DEFRTG with 112. Scottie Barnes is the unquestioned connective tissue of this team with 18.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 5.3 APG. Without Barnes, Toronto looks like a different team and their possessions can sometimes stagnate. One bright spot on this team has been Brandon Ingram, who’s made his second-career All Star apperance this season while adding 21.5 PPG on 46.7% shooting from the field. Ingram’s percentages look par for the course, but he’s helping stabilize this Raptors offense. Luckily, the Suns are missing their best wing defender in Dillon Brooks, so Ingram should be able to play his game tonight.
Suns vs. Raptors pick, best bet
Best Bet: TOR Raptors -4.5 (-118)
Even with Barnes’ status in jeopardy, the Raptors should be able to cover the spread tonight in a home game. The Suns’ backcourt duo recently exploded versus a bottom-tier Indiana defense, but the Raptors should be able to put up a much better fight. Additionally, with Mark Williams out of the picture for the forseeable future, the Raptors will be able to live in the paint without much resistance.
