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Toronto Raptors at the Golden State Warriors Preview
In an NBA Finals rematch from last year, two teams on opposite ends of their respective conferences will go at it on Thursday night. The Raptors and Warriors will play in San Francisco in what will be Steph Curry’s first game back sense October 30th. Toronto will look to build off their 123-114 win against the Suns which ended a tough three-game losing streak. The Warriors currently hold the worst record in the NBA but have actually won 2 of their last 3 including a win against the 3rd seeded Denver Nuggets.
TV Schedule
Date: 3/5/20
Time: 9:30 PM CST
Arena: Chase Center, San Francisco
Channel:
Injuries
Raptors: Marc Gasol (Out), Fred VanVleet (Out), Serge Ibaka (Questionable), Dewan Hernandez (Out)
Warriors: Ky Bowman (Out), Draymond Green (Out), Kevon Looney (Out), Klay Thompson (Out)
Toronto Raptors Starting Lineup
PG:Kyle Lowry
SG: Norman Powell
SF: OG Anunoby
PF: Pascal Siakam
C: Serge Ibaka
Raptors Analysis
Despite losing 3 of their last 4 Toronto should have no worries dealing with this Warriors. With Curry returning it has the makes of a trap game, but the Raptors should find success as long as they don’t take Golden State lightly.
In their last game against the Suns, Toronto was led by their emerging star Pascal Siakim. He led all scorers with 33 points and added 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. Siakim was aided offensively by Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell who scored 28 and 26 points respectively. Also, Chris Boucher provided a boost off the bench scoring 19 of Toronto’s 20 bench points to go along with his impressive 15 rebounds. One key to the Raptors’ success against Phoenix was their rebounding. They out-rebounded the Suns by 12 led by Boucher’s 15 boards.
This should be a game for Toronto to start a new win streak and get some momentum during the second half of the year. Slowing down Curry should be a priority, but they may be assisted by a minutes restriction. The Raptors are 2nd in the NBA in steals per game and should be able to capitalize on a Warriors squad that allows the 4th most steals per game. Look out for the Raptors to turn steals into transition opportunities.
Raptors Quick Links: Raptors Starting Lineup, Raptors Roster, Raptors Depth Chart, Raptors Injuries, Raptors News, Raptors Schedule
Golden State Warriors Starting Lineup
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Damion Lee
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Draymond Green
C: Marquese Chriss
Warriors Analysis
This season has been one filled with turmoil for Golden State. Their 14-48 record is obviously not what they envisioned only a year removed from an NBA Finals appearance. This could be a blessing in disguise for a Golden State team that has been plagued by injuries to star players, if they are able to get a high lottery pick out of it.
The Warriors surprisingly have won two of their last three games with both wins being by 16 points over Western Conference foes in the Suns and Nuggets. Their latest win against Denver was full of encouraging performances. Andrew Wiggins and Eric Paschall led all scorers with 22 each and the Warriors got solid performances out of Jordan Poole, Dragan Bender, and Marquese Chriss who each notched 14+ points. Poole, specifically, has looked much improved ever since returning from a stint in the G-League. He has scored double digit points in his last 10 games averaging 15.8 PPG over that span.
The Warriors will obviously get a huge boost from the return of Steph Curry, but it will be interesting to see how many minutes he is given and how the young players around him adapt to playing with a guard of his caliber.
Warriors Quick Links: Warriors Starting Lineup, Warriors Roster, Warriors Depth Chart, Warriors Injuries, Warriors News, Warriors Schedule
Key Player Matchup
Kyle Lowry vs Steph Curry
This is a matchup that we got to witness in the finals last year and we should see the two go at it again on Thursday night. Lowry should be charged with the job of following Curry and it should be interesting to see how this one plays out with Curry on limited minutes.
Daily Fantasy
Pascal Siakim is probably my favorite play in this matchup with a fair price of ($8,500). There are a few cheap guard options that you can take advantage of in Norman Powell ($5,500), Damion Lee ($5,400), and Jordan Poole ($4,800).
Bet on Matchup
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