Portland Blazers vs Toronto Raptors Prediction, 3/28/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Portland Blazers vs Toronto Raptors

Date: Sunday, March 28, 2021

Location: Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL

TV: NBC Sports Northwest

Odds/Point Spread: Portland (-2)

Amalie Arena is the site where and the Toronto Raptors (18-27) will take on the Portland Blazers (27-18) on Sunday. Toronto opens this matchup as 2-point dogs. The over/under is set at 229.

The Portland Blazers played the Orlando Magic and earned the victory with a final of 112-105 in their last contest. Portland wrapped up the game with a 47.1% field goal percentage (40 out of 85) and buried 18 out of their 40 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Blazers made 14 of their 21 shots for a rate of 66.7%. In relation to hauling in boards, they earned 46 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 21 assists in the game while forcing 12 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In regard to the defense, Portland let their opponent shoot 44.2% from the floor on 42 of 95 shooting. Orlando doled out 29 assists and had 7 steals for the game. Furthermore, Orlando snagged 40 boards (11 offensive, 29 defensive) and added 9 rejections. Orlando finished the game shooting 52.9% at the free throw line by burying 9 of 17 shots. They also knocked down 12 of 27 attempts from beyond the arc.

CJ McCollum is a guy who came through in this matchup. He ended up walking away with 22 points on 8 of 26 shooting. He saw the court for 36:17 mins and also grabbed 5 boards. McCollum finished shooting 30.8% from the field and distributed 7 assists. Someone else that was a factor in the matchup for the Blazers was Norman Powell. He pulled down 2 rebounds in 35:36 minutes on the court. He finished the game at 53.8% from the floor for this contest by hitting 7-of-13 (22 points). When all was said and done, Powell had 1 assist.

Portland heads into this one with a win-loss record of 27-18 so far this year. They average 114.6 points per outing (9th in the league) while connecting on 44.6% from the floor. The Blazers are shooting 38.1% on shots from downtown (734 of 1,924) and 83.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Portland is pulling in 43.5 boards per game and has accounted for 906 dimes this year, which has them ranked 30th in the league in terms of passing. They cough up possession 11.5 times per contest and as a team they are committing 19.2 fouls every game. When they are on defense, the Blazers are forcing 12.7 turnovers per game and they draw 18.6 fouls. The Blazers defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 48.1% (571 of 835) and they surrender 46.0 boards per game as a squad. They rank 21st in the NBA in allowing assists to their opponents with 1,148 relinquished for the year. They concede 37.9% from 3-point land while they are 27th in the league in PPG from their opponents (115.4).

When they last played, the Toronto Raptors walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 104-100 against the Phoenix Suns. The Raptors were able to pull down 31 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards totaling 38 in this matchup. They turned it over 10 times, while earning 5 steals for the game. The Suns were called for 16 personal fouls in this contest which got the Raptors to the free throw line for a total of 16 tries. They were able to make 14 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 87.5%. Regarding shots from downtown, Toronto converted 12 out of their 45 tries (26.7%). In all, the Raptors ended up shooting 37 for 90 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 41.1%. The Raptors allowed the Suns to make 43 out of 90 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 47.8% in this game. They finished 25.0% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 9 of 36 and ended up going 9 of 9 at the free throw line (100.0%). In reference to cleaning the glass, Toronto permitted Phoenix to pull down 47 in total (9 offensive).

Pascal Siakam was important for the Raptors in the matchup. He buried 8 out of 17 for the game for a field goal rate of 47.1%, and had 11 rebounds. Siakam accumulated 26 points in his 37:58 mins of playing time and added 6 dimes in this contest. Another guy that played a role for Toronto was Fred VanVleet. He ended up walking away with 3 assists in 39:23 mins on the hardwood, and he converted 8 of 18 from the floor. VanVleet wrapped this one up going 44.4% from the field while notching 22 points and 4 boards.

Toronto has a win-loss record of 18-27 this year. The Raptors are responsible for committing 22.1 personal fouls every game and they go 82.8% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 25.0 times per game (14th in the league) and they turn the ball over 13.5 times per game. Toronto has accumulated 5,049 points this season (112.2 per contest) and they average 41.0 boards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Raptors are hitting on 44.7% from the field, which ranks them 25th in the NBA. The Raptors on the defensive end are ranked 18th in the NBA in PPG given up with 112.2. They have allowed 26.6 assists and 46.1 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 27th and 24th in the NBA. The Toronto defense gives up 37.4% on 3-pointers (634 of 1,696) and their opponents are knocking down 79.6% of their free throw shots. They are able to force 16.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.9% from the field (11th in the NBA).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Toronto (+2)

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