Toronto Raptors vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction, 3/9/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Toronto Raptors vs Portland Trail Blazers

Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024

Location: Moda Center in Portland, OR

TV: ROOT Sports

The Portland Trail Blazers (17-44) are hosting the Toronto Raptors (23-40) at Moda Center on Saturday.

The Raptors faced off with the Suns and took a loss by a score of 120-113 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Raptors ended up with 20 while the Suns totaled 16 personal fouls. They knocked down 15 out of their 35 attempts from downtown. Phoenix shot 85.0% from the free throw line by burying 17 of their 20 shots. Additionally, Phoenix pulled down 49 rebounds (10 offensive, 39 defensive) and earned 2 blocks. Phoenix totaled 29 assists and had 6 steals for the matchup. With respect to defense, Toronto allowed 51.2% from the floor on 44 of 86 shooting. They also distributed 30 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they collected 36 with 9 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Raptors knocked down 11 of their 15 tries for a rate of 73.3%. Toronto ended the contest with a 45.7% field goal percentage (43 out of 94) and made 16 of 44 shots from downtown.

Gary Trent Jr. is one guy who was a major factor in the matchup. Trent finished the game at 50.0% from the floor but finished the game without an assist. He played for 36 mins and also pulled down 3 boards. He accounted for 30 points on 11 of 22 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Betting Picks

Toronto heads into this contest with a win-loss record of 23-40 for the campaign. They are turning it over 13.3 times per contest and as a squad are committing 18.3 fouls per game. As a unit, Toronto is pulling down 43.7 boards per game and is sitting with 1,843 dimes this season, which is 3rd in the league in terms of passing the rock. The Raptors are shooting 35.5% on shots from distance (746 of 2,101) and 74.5% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 114.1 pts per game (17th in the league) while connecting on 47.5% from the field.

On defense, the Raptors are forcing their opponents into 13.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.3 fouls. They are giving up 37.6% from beyond the arc and they rank 22nd in the NBA in opponents points per game (118.0). The Raptors defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 48.7% (2,798 of 5,749) and they relinquish 44.8 boards per game as a unit. They are 27th in the NBA in allowing assists with 1,784 relinquished on the season.

When they last played, the Trail Blazers took a loss by a score of 128-120 against the Thunder. Concerning how they cleaned up the glass, Portland allowed Oklahoma City to grab 39 in all (7 on the offensive side). They finished 40.9% from behind the 3-point line via 9 of 22 and finished the game at 33 of 39 at the free throw line (84.6%). The Trail Blazers permitted the Thunder to make 43 out of 74 tries from the field which had them shooting 58.1% for the matchup. Overall, the Trail Blazers shot 41 out of 81 from the floor which had them shooting 50.6%. Regarding three-point shots, Portland converted 14 of 34 tries (41.2%). They were able to make 24 of the free throws for a percentage of 88.9%. The Thunder earned 18 fouls in the game which took the Trail Blazers to the free throw line for a total of 27 tries. They also turned it over 17 times, while earning 10 steals for the contest. The Trail Blazers collected 25 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 32 for this game.

Anfernee Simons ended up having an impact for the Trail Blazers in this matchup. He converted 10 of 19 for this contest for a rate of 52.6%, and earned 3 rebounds. Simons tallied 29 points in his 40 minutes on the court and tallied 5 dimes for the contest.

Portland has a mark of 17-44 so far this season. As an offense, the Trail Blazers are connecting on 44.1% from the field, which has them ranked 29th in the league. Portland has scored 6,576 points on the campaign (107.8 per game) and they collect 41.7 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 22.9 times per contest (30th in the NBA) and they cough up possession 15.1 times per contest. The Trail Blazers commit 20.7 fouls per contest and they connect on 79.5% from the charity stripe.

The Portland defense gives up 35.2% on shots from 3-point land (700 of 1,991) and their opponents are connecting on 78.9% of their free throw shots. They have allowed 27.2 dimes and 43.9 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 20th and 17th in the league. The Trail Blazers on the defensive side of the court are 17th in the NBA in points allowed per contest with 115.9. They are forcing 15.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 49.4% from the floor (26th in the NBA).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Toronto

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here