Oklahoma City Thunder vs Toronto Raptors Prediction, 3/16/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Toronto Raptors

Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023

Location: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON

TV: TSN

The Oklahoma City Thunder are en route to Scotiabank Arena on Thursday where they will meet the Toronto Raptors.

The Thunder faced off with the Nets and notched a win by a score of 121-107 in their last contest. Oklahoma City wrapped up the game with a 45.5% FG percentage (45 out of 99) and converted 11 out of their 33 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Thunder converted 20 of 23 attempts for a rate of 87.0%. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 51 with 14 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 22 assists in this game while forcing 17 turnovers and earning 9 steals. With respect to defending, Oklahoma City allowed the other team to go 42.7% from the field on 35 out of 82 shooting. Brooklyn totaled 25 dimes and had 3 steals for this contest. Additionally, Brooklyn had 46 rebounds (11 offensive, 35 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Brooklyn finished the game at 73.5% at the free throw line by converting 25 of their 34 tries. They made 12 of 41 tries from distance. In regard to personal fouls, the Thunder walked away with 25 and the Nets totaled 20 personal fouls.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a guy who had an impact for the game. Gilgeous-Alexander walked away from this one shooting 50.0% from the field and totaled 4 assists. He was on the court for 36 mins played and grabbed 7 rebounds. He ended up with 35 points on 12 out of 24 shooting.

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Oklahoma City comes into this matchup with a mark of 34-35 for the campaign. They have an average of 117.9 points per outing (3rd in the league) while hitting 46.8% from the floor. The Thunder are hitting 36.0% on shots from distance (848 of 2,357) and 80.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Oklahoma City is pulling down 43.8 boards per game and has accounted for 1,709 assists for the year, which is 17th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.2 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 21.2 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Thunder are forcing 17.1 turnovers per game and they draw 20.3 fouls. They are ranked 21st in the NBA in allowing assists with 1,777 relinquished on the year. The Thunder defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 47.0% (2,866 of 6,097) and they surrender 46.6 boards per game as a squad. They relinquish 35.8% on 3-point shots and they rank 20th in basketball in PPG allowed (116.2).

In their last game, the Raptors walked away with a victory by a final of 125-110 against the Nuggets. The Raptors corralled 30 defensive boards and 14 offensive boards for a total of 44 for the game. They turned the ball over 11 times, while earning 10 steals for the matchup. The Nuggets were called for 17 personal fouls in this game which took the Raptors to the charity stripe for a total of 17 attempts. They were able to bury 15 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 88.2%. In reference to shooting from distance, Toronto buried 12 out of their 30 tries (40.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Raptors walked away from this one shooting 49 for 93 from the field which had them shooting 52.7%. The Raptors permitted the Nuggets to convert 42 of their 76 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 55.3% for this contest. They finished 24.0% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 6 out of 25 and ended up going 20 out of 25 from the free throw line (80.0%). With respect to team rebounding, Toronto allowed Denver to pull down 32 in all (4 offensive).

Fred VanVleet was important for the Raptors in the matchup. He made 13 of 22 for the matchup giving him a rate of 59.1%, and had 3 rebounds. VanVleet racked up 36 points in his 38 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 7 dimes for this game.

Toronto has a mark of 33-36 so far this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Raptors are connecting on 45.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 27th in basketball. Toronto has accounted for 7,767 pts for the year (112.6 per game) and they average 42.7 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 23.5 times per contest (23rd in the NBA) and they cough up possession 11.9 times per game. The Raptors are committing 20.2 fouls per contest and they connect on 78.4% from the charity stripe.

The Toronto defense allows 37.6% on 3-pointers (847 of 2,253) and opponents are making 79.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 26.2 assists and 42.3 boards per game, which is 26th and 10th in the league. The Raptors on the defensive end are ranked 7th in the NBA in points allowed per contest with 112.1. They are forcing 16.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 49.3% from the field (28th in the league).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Toronto

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