Houston Rockets vs Toronto Raptors Prediction, 2/26/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Houston Rockets vs Toronto Raptors

Date: Friday, February 26, 2021

Location: Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL

TV: TSN

Odds/Point Spread: Houston (+8)

The Houston Rockets (11-18) travel to Amalie Arena on Friday where they'll take on the Toronto Raptors (16-16). Toronto opens this contest as 8-point favorites. The over/under opens at 218.

The Houston Rockets took the court against the Cleveland Cavaliers and went home with a loss by a final score of 112-96 in their last contest. Houston ended with a 40.0% field goal percentage (36 of 90) and converted 10 out of their 33 shots from beyond the arc. From the free throw line, the Rockets converted 14 of their 17 tries for a percentage of 82.4%. In terms of pulling down boards, they collected a total of 33 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 18 assists in the game in addition to forcing 16 turnovers and having 8 steals. When talking about defending, Houston allowed their opponent to shoot 50.6% from the field on 43 of 85 shooting. Cleveland distributed 24 dimes and had 4 steals for the matchup. In addition, Cleveland pulled down 55 rebounds (11 offensive, 44 defensive) and earned 10 rejections. Cleveland went 66.7% from the free throw line by knocking down 10 of their 15 attempts. They also knocked down 16 out of their 36 attempts from beyond the perimeter.

John Wall is a player who was a factor for the contest. He had 15 points on 4 of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 26:12 mins and snagged 3 rebounds. Wall ended up shooting 28.6% from the floor and also distributed 7 assists. Someone else that was a major factor in this contest for the Rockets was Danuel House. He snagged 6 rebounds in his 26:02 minutes played on the night. He finished the contest at 55.6% from the floor for the matchup by shooting 5-of-9 (15 points). When this game wrapped up, House had 2 assists.

Houston steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 11-18 for the season. They are averaging 109.0 points per contest (23rd in the NBA) while hitting 44.5% from the floor. The Rockets are hitting 34.0% on shots from beyond the arc (401 of 1,181) and 74.8% from the charity stripe. As a team, Houston is collecting 43.7 boards per contest and is sitting with 666 dimes this year, which is 29th in basketball in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 15.1 times per game and as a unit they commit 20.3 fouls every game. On defense, the Rockets are forcing 15.4 turnovers per game while drawing 19.3 personal fouls. The Rockets defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 45.8% (448 of 559) and they surrender 47.7 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 2nd in basketball in giving up assists with 661 surrendered this season. They are relinquishing 36.5% on shots from distance and they are ranked 12th in the league in opponents points per game (111.6).

In their last game, the Toronto Raptors walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 116-108 when they faced the Miami Heat. The Raptors pulled down 29 defensive boards and 3 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 in this game. They turned it over 14 times, while earning 5 steals for this game. The Heat were called for 21 fouls in this matchup which took the Raptors to the free throw line for a total of 17 shots. They were able to make 14 of those for a percentage of 82.4%. Concerning 3-pointers, Toronto knocked down 20 out of 44 attempts (45.5%). Overall, the Raptors ended up going 37 for 74 from the field which had them shooting 50.0%. The Raptors allowed the Heat to make 37 of their 80 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 46.3% for the matchup. They finished the game shooting 44.7% from distance by connecting on 17 of 38 and ended up going 25 of 29 from the free throw line (86.2%). In relation to team rebounding, Toronto permitted Miami to get 42 overall (11 on the offensive side).

Norman Powell ended up being a major contributor for the Raptors in the game. He made 9 of 19 for the matchup giving him a rate of 47.4%, and accounted for 4 rebounds. Powell scored 24 points in his 35:13 mins on the hardwood and had 6 assists for this contest. Someone else who came through for Toronto was Pascal Siakam. He came away with 7 assists in 42:20 minutes on the hardwood, and he knocked down 9 of 18 from the floor. Siakam ended the game having shot 50.0% from the field as well as totaling 22 points and 6 boards.

Toronto has a mark of 16-16 so far this year. The Raptors commit 21.9 fouls per contest and they go 82.7% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 24.8 times per game (17th in the NBA) and they are giving up possession 13.7 times per game. Toronto has accounted for 3,607 points so far this year (112.7 per game) and they pull in 42.0 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Raptors are connecting on 45.1% from the floor, which has them ranked 23rd in basketball. The Raptors on the defensive end are ranked 8th in the league in points given up per game with 110.3. They are forcing 16.7 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 45.2% from the floor (7th in basketball). The Toronto defense allows 37.1% on three-point shots (442 of 1,192) and their opponents are connecting on 79.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 26.3 dimes and 45.2 boards per game, which is 26th and 18th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Toronto (-8)

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