Oklahoma City Thunder vs Toronto Raptors Prediction, 4/18/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Toronto Raptors

Date: Sunday, April 18, 2021

Location: Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL

TV: Bally Sports OK

Odds/Point Spread: Oklahoma City (+3.5)

Amalie Arena is the site where and the Toronto Raptors (23-34) will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (20-36) on Sunday. Oklahoma City opens this game as 3.5-point dogs. The total is set at 223.

The Oklahoma City Thunder took the court against the Detroit Pistons and took a loss by a score of 110-104 in their last contest. Oklahoma City ended the contest with a 40.2% FG percentage (39 of 97) and made 7 of their 39 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the Thunder made 19 of 26 tries for a rate of 73.1%. In regard to rebounding, they earned 56 with 18 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 19 assists for this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 18 turnovers and earning 13 steals. In terms of defense, Oklahoma City allowed the other team to go 42.2% from the field on 38 out of 90 shooting. Detroit recorded 22 assists and had 13 steals in this game. On top of that, Detroit pulled down 54 rebounds (15 offensive, 39 defensive) and got 8 blocks. Detroit finished the game shooting 70.6% at the free throw line by burying 24 of 34 tries. They also buried 10 of their 35 attempts from beyond the perimeter.

Luguentz Dort is one guy who was a factor in this contest. He finished with 26 points on 9 of 20 shooting. He saw the court for 32:10 mins played and grabbed 6 rebounds. Dort finished 45.0% from the floor and also totaled 2 assists. An additional guy that came through in this matchup for the Thunder was Darius Bazley. He grabbed 7 rebounds in 33:36 minutes on the court. He finished the game at 38.9% from the floor in this matchup by connecting on 7-of-18 (19 points). When the time ran out, Bazley accounted for 2 assists.

Oklahoma City comes into this game with a mark of 20-36 so far this season. They turn it over 15.7 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 18.1 fouls every game. As a unit, Oklahoma City is pulling in 45.3 boards per contest and has totaled 1,248 dimes on the season, which is 27th in basketball in terms of passing. The Thunder are hitting 34.5% on 3-point shots (696 of 2,017) and 72.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 105.3 pts per contest (28th in the league) while hitting 44.4% from the floor. On the defensive end, the Thunder are forcing their opponents into 12.8 turnovers every game and they draw 18.4 fouls. The Thunder defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 46.9% (719 of 1,029) and they surrender 47.3 boards per game as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 21st in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,415 surrendered on the season. They concede 35.7% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 23rd in basketball in points per game allowed (114.3).

The last time they took the court, the Toronto Raptors got the win with a final of 113-102 against the Orlando Magic. The Raptors pulled down 34 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 42 for this game. They also turned the ball over 14 times, while recording 6 steals in the game. The Magic earned 14 fouls in the matchup which got the Raptors to the charity stripe for a total of 18 shots. They were able to knock down 17 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 94.4%. With respect to shots from beyond the perimeter, Toronto knocked down 14 out of their 35 attempts (40.0%). When this game wrapped up, the Raptors ended up going 41 out of 82 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 50.0%. The Raptors permitted the Magic to make 35 of 77 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 45.5% for the game. They finished 34.8% from distance by shooting 8 of 23 and ended up going 24 out of 34 from the free throw line (70.6%). With respect to how they attacked the glass, Toronto allowed Orlando to collect 35 in total (6 on the offensive glass).

Paul Watson was important for the Raptors in this game. He converted 10 of 13 for this game for a field goal rate of 76.9%, and had 4 rebounds. Watson recorded 30 points in his 25:38 minutes on the court and had 1 assist for the contest. An additional guy that ended up playing a role for Toronto was Chris Boucher. He finished this one with 2 assists in 31:13 mins on the court, and he shot 3 out of 6 from the floor. Boucher walked away from this one going 50.0% from the floor while also earning 11 points and 7 total rebounds.

Toronto has a win-loss record of 23-34 so far this season. The Raptors are responsible for committing 21.8 fouls per game and they hit 82.6% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 24.2 times per contest (20th in basketball) and they turn the ball over 13.5 times per game. Toronto has scored 6,384 pts for the campaign (112.0 per game) and they pull in 41.5 boards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Raptors are shooting 45.0% from the floor, which has them ranked 24th in basketball. The Raptors on the defensive side of the court are 14th in basketball in points allowed per contest with 111.4. The Toronto defense concedes 37.6% on 3-point attempts (788 of 2,094) and opponents are connecting on 79.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 26.0 assists and 45.8 boards per contest, which is ranked 26th and 22nd in the NBA. They are forcing 16.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 45.7% from the field (9th in the NBA).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Toronto (-3.5)

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