Toronto Raptors vs Oklahoma City Thunder: 1/15/20: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Daily Fantasy
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Toronto Raptors at Oklahoma City Thunder Preview
The Toronto Raptors come into Wednesday’s game vs the Thunder with a 25-14 record which has them fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Raptors have alternated wins and losses in each of their last nine games.
Toronto is coming off of a 105-104 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Toronto is 4-6 in their last 10 games and is 11-7 on the road this season. The Raptors are 7-7 vs the Western Conference.
Oklahoma City is 23-17 overall this season and they are 13-7 at home. The Thunder were victorious in their last game as they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-104 on Monday.
OKC has won 12 of their last 15 games and that win streak has helped them climb to seventh in the Western Conference.
This is the final meeting between the two teams as Oklahoma City won the first matchup 98-97 back on December 29.
TV Schedule
Date: 1/15/20
Time: 8 PM ET
Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Channel: FSOK, TSN
Injuries
Raptors: Fred VanVleet (O), Marc Gasol (GTD)
Thunder: Andre Roberson (IA), Abdel Nader (O), Nerlens Noel (O)
Toronto Raptors Starting Lineup
PG:Kyle Lowry
SG: Norman Powell
SF: OG Anunoby
PF: Pascal Siakam
C: Marc Gasol
Raptors Analysis
The Raptors have been solid this season as they rank No. 6 in the NBA in net rating with a 5.1 rating.
Toronto’s offense has been average as they rank No.16 in the NBA but their defense has been outstanding ranking No. 2 in the league.
The Raptors are one of five teams that rank in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive ratings with the others being the Bucks, Lakers, Clippers, and Celtics.
Toronto appeared on its way to victory in their game Sunday vs the Spurs as they entered the fourth quarter up by 13. Unfortunately, the Raptors fell apart in the final quarter as they were outscored 36-22 and lost by one.
The Raptors were led by Serge Ibaka who finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds. He was 9-16 shooting including 3-6 from three.
Toronto will look to get back in the win column Wednesday as they are in a battle for playoff positioning with the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers. All three teams are only separated by one game.
Raptors Quick Links: Raptors Starting Lineup, Raptors Roster, Raptors Depth Chart, Raptors Injuries, Raptors News, Raptors Schedule
Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SF: Terrance Ferguson
PF: Danilo Gallinari
C:Steven Adams
Thunder Analysis
The Thunder are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right having won 12 of their last 15 games.
During that streak, Oklahoma City has beaten teams such as the Clippers, Rockets, and Raptors. The three losses came to the Lakers, 76ers. and Grizzlies.
The Thunder are currently seventh in the Western Conference standings and they have a five-game lead on the eighth seed.
OKC comes into Wednesday’s game with an offense that ranks No. 19 in offensive rating and a defense that ranks No. 12 in defensive rating. The Thunder as a team rank No. 13 in net rating.
Those numbers don’t seem impressive but if you look at their numbers during their streak then they rank No. 12 in offensive rating and No. 8 in defensive rating. They are tied with the Bucks for the second-best record in the last 15 games (12-3).
The Thunder had two big performances in their win over the Timberwolves as Gallinari had 30 points on 8-12 shooting and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his first career triple-double. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 20 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Thunder Quick Links: Thunder Starting Lineup, Thunder Roster, Thunder Depth Chart, Thunder Injuries, Thunder News, Thunder Schedule
Key Player Matchups
Chris Paul vs. Kyle Lowry
Both Paul and Lowry are the most important players for their respective teams. Both are able to score, facilitate, and defend at a high level.
Paul got the best of Lowry in their first meeting as he finished with 25-11-8 while Lowry had 20-3-5.
Danilo Gallinari vs. Pascal Siakam
The matchup between Paul and Lowry will be key but don’t overlook the battle at the four as both Siakam and Gallinari can take over games. Gallinari is a scoring threat from anywhere on the floor and Siakam can impact the game in a variety of ways.
Neither of them played in the first meeting.
Daily Fantasy
Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry are projected to be the best daily fantasy options for their respective teams. Paul is projected to score 36 points and he is available for $6.6k.
Lowry is projected to get 41.5 fantasy points and he is available for $8.2k.
If looking for cheaper options then consider Danilo Gallinari who is available for $6.5k and has a projection of 34.7 points.
Bet on Matchup
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