NBA Free Premium Plays 04/25: Toronto Raptors @ Brooklyn Nets

Toronto  at Brooklyn

NBA - 739 Toronto Raptors @ 740 Brooklyn Nets ***FREE Premium Plays*** The first two games of this series were super strange because we are dealing with two great shooting/spot up offensive teams that completely struggled in both games to hit outside shots. I took TOR & OVER in G2 and we’ve seen some interesting things from TOR: DeRozan bounced back pretty well from a terrible G1 and the Raptors frontcourt kept dominating down low and on the glass. However, their problems w/ TO’s is real vs. this aggressive Nets’ defense! DeRozan & Valanciunas aren’t particular good ball handlers and they are prone to commit TO’s when pressured – something that the Nets will keep doing throughout this series. The biggest “anomaly” for the Nets in the first 2 games was their complete inability to hit outside shots – 11-48 from 3pts land (just 23% mark!)! Note that most of those misses were wide open shots! Sooner or later, those shots will cash for them and playing at home for them has been a good sign: BKN Reg. Season 3pts% Road: ranked #21 w/ 34.8% BKN Reg. Season 3pts% Home: ranked #2 w/ 39.1% For this contest, I expect the Nets to answer pretty well to the fact that they are playing at home. My fair line for this contest is BKN-8/-9 points & 195 points as both teams will start hitting outside shots. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 739/740 Over 190.5 @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 740 Brooklyn Nets (-5) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Free Premium Play 04/19: Brooklyn Nets @ Toronto Raptors

Brooklyn  at Toronto

NBA - 701 Brooklyn Nets @ 702 Toronto Raptors ***FREE Premium Play*** This should be a fun series to watch w/ plenty of tight games and (hopefully) w/ game 6 and/or game 7 on the horizon. For the first contest I really think that we have some edge w/ the Under as my fair line in here is 190/192 points. Note that in this series, we will deal w/ half court battle. In the regular season, TOR was ranked #23 in Pace Factor & BKN = ranked #25! 3 of the 4 H2H’s games between these two teams were slow paced contests, so we can expect this trend to keep going in this series. BKN’s offense will have some problems vs. TOR’s underrated defense! TOR is a top 10 team in not committing TO’s (ranked #9 in the regular season) and this could be a problem for a BKN defense that is great in creating TO’s and convert those TO’s w/ a pretty decent transition offense. Also, Amir Johnson & Patrick Patterson are quick and mobile “bigs”, so BKN’s undersized lineup won’t have the usual edge that they are used to have vs. traditional frontcourt units. On the other side, this Raptors team doesn’t have much experience @ playoffs, and this first contest could be a tough mental spot for them. Note that we are dealing w/ a team that takes a ton of mid range jumpers… BKN will have S. Livingston back and also K. Garnett could play some significant minutes as well – an obvious boost for their defense! The correlation of all these factors = Single Dime Play w/ Under! Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 701/702 Under 194 @ -110 / 1.91 on Betonline

NBA Free Premium Play 03/31: Toronto Raptors @ Miami Heat

Toronto  at Miami

NBA - 735 Toronto Raptors @ 736 Miami Heat Play #2 It was tough for me to watch the Magic hit 55.1% of their shots last night vs. TOR and still score only 93 points as our Triple Dime Play w/ OVER 194 pts fell short by 3 points. Nevertheless, TOR’s perimeter defense once again was subpar as the Magic did some nice damage via PNR’s by their guards. In my opinion, Lowry & DeRozan’s big minutes and increased “fatigue” have been the biggest reason for this TOR’s defensive slump as of late and being this contest @b2b spot, this won’t help the Raptors tonight. In yesterday’s game, TOR had more than 30% of their offensive production via PNR Ball Handler plays w/ a decent 0.87 PPP mark. I was expecting such good numbers from them via PNR’s because they were facing the subpar ORL defense.  Well, for tonight they will face #1 defense in the league vs. PNR Ball Handler plays in the Heat and so, I expect a natural letdown from the Raptors tonight. The fact that MIA is 3-0 vs. TOR so far in this season isn’t a coincidence – they really matchup well vs. TOR! Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 736 Miami Heat (-5.5) @ -110 / 1.91 on 5 Dimes

NBA Free Premium Play 03/25: Toronto Raptors @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Toronto  at Cleveland

NBA - 651 Toronto Raptors @ 652 Cleveland Cavaliers ***FREE Premium Play*** Despite playing without Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers’ offense has been decent lately mostly because D. Waiters and J. Jack are finally playing aggressively on the offensive end. CLE completely torched NYK defense (especially in the second half) by shooting 60% from the field. They did their damage primarily via PNR’ plays by Waiters & Jack attacking off the dribble vs. slow footed NYK’s guards. Obviously, TOR’s perimeter defense is way better vs. NYK but the TOR’s PNR ball handler defense as of late has been subpar (at best). In my opinion that is happening mostly because Lowry & DeRozan are playing so many minutes that their effort on the defensive end has been inconsistent. Also, Spencer Hawes could cause some problems to J. Valanciunas due to his good shooting range. On the other side, the Raptors are coming from a nice win vs. ATL even though they struggled offensively in the first 3 quarters. I had a play w/ Under in that game and I really predicted such struggles because TOR was coming from a brutal effort in the previous game vs. OKC (double OT) and w/ early start, they wouldn’t be able to play their best basketball. For this contest, I expect Lowry and DeRozan to have decent offensive numbers because as good Waiters & Jack are on the offensive end, the same thing simply cannot be said on the defensive end. My fair line for this contest is 197/198 points and w/ the current totals line, we have the proper edge to make a play w/ OVER in here. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 651/652 Over 194.5 @ -110 / 1.91 on 5 Dimes

NBA Free Premium Play 03/23: Atlanta Hawks @ Toronto Raptors

Atlanta  at Toronto

NBA - 701 Atlanta Hawks @ 702 Toronto Raptors Play #1 My fair line for this contest is 200 points so in my opinion, we are dealing with an inflated totals line. TOR is coming from a brutal physical effort vs. OKC this past Friday. After some bad defensive games, the Raptors bounced back and held OKC to just 96 points @regulation. Their problem was Kevin Durant, but really, this a problem for every team in the league. 4 TOR’s starters logged at least 45 minutes w/ banged up Amir Johnson playing an insane 50 minutes! On the end, ATL has lost the last game vs. NO in their worst defensive performance from a while. They couldn’t stop A. Davis (like Durant, the same thing can be said about Davis’ lately). These two teams played vs. each other already in this week and the game ended w/ 212 points @ regulation. Both teams were incredible efficient w/ FT’s: TOR 26-29 FT - 90% mark and ATL 27-31 FT - 87% mark! Kyle Korver played that game but he’s OUT for today, while ATL’s guard Jeff Teague killed the Raptors w/ 11-18 FG & 11-11 FT for 34 points. However, note that Teague took advantage of the Raptors interior defense that was without Jonas Valanciunas who left the game early. Today’s contest is primed to be a relatively low scoring game… we have an early start, TOR coming from a brutal effort and the Hawks without their best pure shooter = Under play! Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 701/702 Under 203.5 @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Game Preview 03/19: Toronto Raptors @ New Orleans Pelicans

NBA - 609 Toronto Raptors @ 610 New Orleans Pelicans 

This is really a tough matchup for the Raptors tonight…. They played last night @ATL in a game that went to OT and obviously, their key players logged some major minutes: Lowry 41min, DeRozan 45min and Ross 40 min.

More importantly, Jonas Valanciunas got injured and most likely he will miss tonight’s game. I’ve said yesterday that the absence of P. Patterson is troublesome for TOR and now that Valanciunas is also banged up, I expect TOR to have some problems on the frontcourt. To make things even worse, the Raptors will face Anthony Davis tonight! Davis is just dominating offensively right now and TOR simply don’t have any player that could slow him down….Amir Johnson, Chuck Hayes or Hansbrough are all WAY TOO SLOW!

I understand that NO perimeter defense is atrocious but they can be a dangerous unit on the offensive end. TOR has struggled L2 games to prevent dribble penetration from the opp. Guards (Dragic & Bledsoe and last night J. Teague) and this is bad news for them tonight vs. E. Gordon and especially T. Evans.

I expect this contest to be a close battle but ultimately, TOR awful physical spot will be a major factor and that’s why I’m taking the Pelicans in here. 

NOTE: A. Davis is banged up and could miss tonight's game, so the "potential play" was scratched.

NBA Free Premium Play 03/18: Toronto Raptors @ Atlanta Hawks

Toronto  at Atlanta

NBA - 523 Toronto Raptors @ 524 Atlanta Hawks ***FREE Premium Play*** In my opinion, the Hawks are a tough matchup for the Raptors and now that they are “healthy”, they shouldn't be 3.5 pts underdogs at home. I had a play w/ Over in the last game of TOR vs. PHX, and a key factor for the play was the fact that PHX’s mobile frontcourt would be a tough matchup for TOR due to their good shooting range. Eventually, TOR tried to play small ball vs. PHX, but they simply couldn’t stop them. TOR’s Patrick Patterson was OUT and he would really help TOR in that game as he is "more mobile" thank Valanciunas & Amir Johnson and he also shoots well from the outside. Well, Patterson is still OUT for this contest and to make things even worse, ATL’s frontcourt w/ Millsap & Antic is somehow similar to PHX’s frontcourt as both players are great outside shooters, so the Raptors will struggle once again tonight. I had a play w/ Atlanta last night @CHA… and I’ve said: “… the Hawks versatile frontline unit will also cause some problems to CHA’s defense”. BINGO! Millsap dominated the game w/ 12-20 FG for 28 points while Antic & Mike Scott also helped the Hawks by scoring 21 points. I expect the Hawks to create similar offensive problems to TOR’s slow footed frontline. On the other end, D. DeRozan is struggling a bit as of late and I expect D. Carroll to do a good defensive job guarding him. K. Lowry is playing some great basketball but he has to do too much for them IMO. ATL’s defense has improved considerably w/ Millsap & Antic on the starting line and so, I really think that the Hawks will be extremely competitive in here. NOTE: the public is pounding the Raptors in this contest, so it's likely that sooner or later, ALL the books will be forced to put ATL @+3.5 points. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 524 Atlanta Hawks (+3.5) @ -115 / 1.87 on Bovada

NBA Free Premium Play 03/07: Sacramento Kings @ Toronto Raptors

Sacramento  at Toronto

NBA -805 Sacramento Kings @ 806 Toronto Raptors Play #1 This contest is a rare case in which we have a lowly team completely motivated and focused to win @ road… obviously, we are talking about the Kings and the “Rudy Gay” situation going for tonight’s game against his former team. Having said that, actually, the Kings are a bad matchup for the Raptors! It all starts w/ D. Cousins! TOR has been an awful defensive rebounding and their interior defense has struggled against skilled big men….they’ve lost against the Bulls at home; they’ve allowed Gortat went crazy against them w/ 12-23 FG & 7-11 FT for 31 points and even in the last game, David Lee had 8-18 FG for 20 points! In the first H2H game, Cousins had 8-19 FG, 9-14 FG for 25 pts, 10 reb and even 4 assists! Also, Isaiah Thomas will be a tough matchup for K. Lowry and suddenly the Kings could be a competitive team tonight… note that they are 2-0 in L2 games so, they are feeling confident right now. TOR had plenty of days to rest for this contest so it will be quite natural that they start the game w/ some rustiness to show. I understand that they are a better team that SAC especially on the defensive end, but this current 6.5 pts spread line is way too much IMO as my fair line for this contest is TOR by 3/4 points. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 805 Sacramento Kings (+6.5) @ -110 / 1.91 on 5 Dimes

NBA Free Premium Plays 03/02: Golden State Warriors @ Toronto Raptors

Golden State  at Toronto

NBA - 803 Golden State Warriors @ 804 Toronto Raptors Play #1 & #2 GSW is coming from a pure offensive demolition over the Knicks in the last game by scoring 126 points and having Off. Rtg. = 120.8! However, let’s not forget that they were facing the… Knicks – ranked #27 in defending 3pts% (ranked #29 in L10 games); ranked #30 defending P&R ball handler plays & ranked #29 defending transition plays. Obviously, GSW torched NYK defense in all these 3 areas for an easy win. Hardly, this will happen today against the Raptors because we are dealing w/ a TOR defense that is allowing 32.7% 3pts in L10 games (ranked #7 in the league) and is ranked #4 defending P&R Ball Handler Plays. Facing R. Felton is way different than facing K. Lowry and I expect GSW to have a natural offensive letdown in this contest. The good news for GSW is that their defense is playing @ extreme high level and I expect them to be even better against TOR today. First of all, note that there are several Raptors’ players banged up right now: Amir Johnson is still dealing w/ a bad ankle while K. Lawry & T. Ross sprained their ankles in the last game vs. WAS as well… TOR offense is PNR heavy while they are mostly a jump shooting team like GSW… Well, GSW is allowing just 32.5% 3pts in L10 games - #4 best mark in the league while their PNR has clearly improved now that they are healthy. I expect Iguodala to match up w/ DeRozan in here while K. Lowry will be busy to defend S. Curry… A couple of weeks ago, TOR would have a substantial edge w/ 2nd unit over GSW, but I don’t think that this potential edge is so clear right now b/c GSW bench now w/ S. Blake, Barnes, Green & Jermaine O’Neal played great @NYK in the last game. I’m taking the Warriors in this contest in a relatively low scoring game. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 803 Golden State Warriors (-2) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 803/804 Under 202 @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Free Premium Play 01/25: Los Angeles Clippers @ Toronto Raptors

LA Clippers  at Toronto

NBA - 503 Los Angeles Clippers @ 504 Toronto Raptors Play #2 My fair line for this contest is 202 points so @ 197.5/198 points, we have the proper edge to play w/ OVER. Both teams are playing their 3rd game in 4 nights but I don’t think fatigue will be a big factor for tonight. Both teams are sharing the ball quite well and so, they are creating plenty of good looks for their shooters… LAC had 26 assists vs. 7 TO’s last night vs. terrific CHI defense while TOR had 28 assists vs. 15 TO’s vs. PHI. TOR’s P&R offense was super sharp last night w/ Lowry being a major factor (he had 7-11 FG, 18 pt, 10 reb and 13 assists), and for tonight I expect him to have some edge over D. Collison. TOR’s is coming from 2 good defensive performances in L2 games, but they have faced DAL’s playing without Nowitzki and they have stopped PHI’s offense only in the 4th quarter. LAC’s offense is in “another level” and so , I expect this contest to be a fun game to watch. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 503/504 Over 197.5 @ -110 / 1.91 on Betonline

NBA Free Premium Play 01/22: Dallas Mavericks @ Toronto Raptors

Dallas  at Toronto

NBA - 707 Dallas Mavericks @ 708 Toronto Raptors Play #4 The Raptors are just a terrible matchup for this Mavericks team… DAL rebounding has been awful all season long – they are the third worst defensive rebounding team in the league w/ subpar 72.1% Def. Reb/rate% and this bodes well for a decent TOR team that is top 10 in Offensive Boards (they are ranked #8). Both teams simply love to run P&R’s ball handler plays… I have DAL being #1 team vol% in the league while TOR is ranked #6…the biggest difference for tonight’s contest will be on the defensive side, b/c while TOR has been great defensively vs. this play (ranked #5) w/ better numbers in L10 games, the Mavericks are in a complete decline as of late… L4 games P&R BH defensive numbers: 1.11, 1.33, 1.40 & 0.78 PPP! TOR has lost their last 2 games mainly due to subpar defense, so I expect them to be more focused defensively tonight. With TOR having the edge on rebounding & defense, I expect their offense to be decent vs. an awful DAL defense and therefore, I’m taking them to win this contest. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 708 Toronto Raptors (-1) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Free Premium Play 01/19: Los Angeles Lakers @ Toronto Raptors

LA Lakers  at Toronto

NBA - 801 Los Angeles Lakers @ 802 Toronto Raptors Play #1 I expect this contest to be quite similar to the one that the Raptors played already this week against the Bucks and ended up w/ 210 points, b/c TOR’s mindset will be IMO to “outscore” the Lakers in their game… After losing @BOS, TOR bounced back and defeated MIN at home in the last game. Despite scoring “only” 94 points, note that TOR had a pretty efficient offensive game w/ 114 Off. Rtg! The “problem” was that the game had a ridiculous slow pace – it was the second slowest paced game of the season for TOR b/c offensively, TOR was red hot from the outside w/ 11-24 3pts and had a nice mark of 26 assists – a good sign for today’s game… TOR’s Pick n roll game shouldn’t have any problems to score against LAL that is playing K. Marshall @ PG & frontcourt due of Pau Gasol & R. Kelly! However, since K. Marshall is running the show in LA, the Lakers are showing some nice offensive flow – a first-pass PG playing for M. D’Antoni’s system is really a primary “need” for the team, and LAL has scored 118, 114 and 107 points! Because they play w/ such small ball lineups, I expect them to cause some problems to TOR defense that usually plays w/ 2 “bigs” in Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas! My Fair line for this contest is 206/208 points and therefore, I’m playing the Over in here as my Single Dime Play! Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 801/802 Over 203.5 @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Free Premium Play 01/17: Minnesota Timberwolves @ Toronto Raptors

Minnesota  at Toronto

NBA - 805 Minnesota Timberwolves @ 806 Toronto Raptors Play #2 I understand that the Raptors are playing really well since they traded away Rudy Gay to Sacramento, but IMO they are a bit overrated right now and especially, they won’t be “ready” for the style that MIN displays on the court. Tonight’s game snapped an 11-games streak for TOR in which they have faced Eastern Conference teams… that says it all about how relatively easy their schedule has been during this 11-games span (they had only 3 “tough games” vs. MIA & IND). TOR’s defense has been excellent; but again, just look for their opponents Offensive Rtg. rankings: NYK #19 CHI #29 IND #17 WAS #21 MIA #2 DET #20 BKN #18 MIL #30 BOS #24 They have faced only one Top 10 offensive team in the league! I’m not saying that MIN offense is near the level of MIA’s offense but MIN is ranked #8 right now and they will cause more problems for TOR. TOR’s frontline is a bit banged up for tonight’s contest: Tyler Hansbrough most likely will miss the game; Amir Johnson has a bad ankle and Jonas Valanciunas played sick in the last game @TOR. In the last game @BOS, TOR was completely dominated by BOS frontcourt – they had only 43.5% reb/rate and J. Sullinger completely owned them w/ 7-14 FG, 10-14 FT, 25 pts & 20 rebounds! Well, MIN has Kevin Love & Nikola Pekovic on their frontcourt… MIN is coming from a bad loss at home vs. SAC. I had a play w/ SAC+10 in the game because in a fast paced contest, this Kings team is a dangerous opponent for any team in the league and they simply outgunned the Wolves. TOR isn’t used to play in such fast tempo and I think that tonight’s flow of the game will favor MIN. Rick Adelman was upset after another bad defensive performance from his team: "We're so hands-off defensively," coach Rick Adelman said. "It almost takes an act of Congress to foul somebody. You have to get after people in this league." So I expect MIN to be more active defensively tonight while their edge down low on the offensive end will be enough to win on the road and that’s why I’m taking them tonight. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 805 Minnesota Timberwolves (+1.5) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bovada

NBA Free Premium Play 01/13: Milwaukee Bucks @ Toronto Raptors

Milwaukee  at Toronto

NBA - 701 Milwaukee Bucks @ 702 Toronto Raptors Play #1 TOR defense has been excellent by holding their opponents to just 86.7 points per game in L7 games but their offense has also improved dramatically as well. If we remove their game @IND because the Pacers’ defense is simply in another level, TOR has averaged 101.4 points per game in L11 games & nice 110 Offensive Rtg. After facing some strong opposition, TOR will face tonight the lowly Bucks so I expect them to be more relaxed in both ends of the floor. MIL isn’t a good defensive team, such statement is quite obvious but in L10 games, their perimeter defense has been truly awful by allowing 41.3% 3pts – the worst mark in the league! The X factor for this contest is related w/ the matchup TOR defense vs. MIL offense. First of all, I expect TOR to be “a bit relaxed” on their defensive intensiveness (TOR is 8-4 OVER as home favorites this season) MIL offense obviously is struggling all season long, but in L3 games they really couldn't score near the basket – just 22.7 pts in the paint & 42.0% FG at the rim! But note that they have faced GSW, CHI & OKC –all elite defensive teams protecting the rim, so no wonder they struggled to score down low… I expect them to have better numbers in this department. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 701/702 Over 186.5 @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Free Premium Play 01/03: Toronto Raptors @ Washington Wizards

Toronto  at Washington

NBA - 801 Toronto Raptors @ 802 Washington Wizards Play #2 Both the Raptors and the Wizards are playing better as of late, especially the Raptors since they traded Rudy Gay to Sacramento. I think we are dealing with an undervalued totals line as I have the game handicapped @ 197 points so we have some good edge w/ the OVER IMO. TOR has won their last 4 games while showing a terrific defense alongside w/ a much improved offensive ball movement. However note that two of those games were against the shorthanded Knicks, while the L2 games were against two post-centric teams in the Bulls & Pacers. TOR interior defense has been great w/ just 39.6 points in the paint allowed L10 games and they did a good job vs CHI & IND. The same thing cannot be said about their perimeter defense as they have allowed 42.6% 3pts L10 games (ranked #25 in the league) or 24.4% in L5 games (ranked #24 in the league). This can be problematic against a Wizards’ team that is one of the best 3pts shooting teams in the league. Curiously, the Wizards are coming from one of the worst offensive performances of the season in their last game against DAL. I don’t know if the fact that it was the first game of this new year + early start 6PM EST was a major factor on such bad shooting but the truth is that both teams couldn’t make a three pointer to save their lives: DAL went 11-38 FG from +16feet while WAS went 9-39 FG – a putrid 23% mark! Wall, Beal, Ariza and Webster combined to shoot 5-24 behind the line! I expect the Wizards to be bounce back offensively tonight… On the other side, the Raptors are now sharing the ball and playing unselfish basketball (few teams can say that they dished 27 assists against the Pacers!). The ISO-ball is now gone and the team is now running more Pick n Rolls and feeding their big men on the post. WAS defense is over-switching and making several defensive mistakes on the rotations and I think that TOR w/ their good ball movement will take advantage of that. The first h2h between these two teams ended up with 184 points w/ both teams combining to hit just 11-35 3pts (31.4%) and committing 30 TO’s. I expect tonight’s game to have a good tempo while both teams will put on the court their improved offensive chemistry. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 801/802 Over 192.5 @ -110 / 1.91 on 5 Dimes

Toronto Raptors NBA Team Season Preview 2013-14

TORONTO RAPTORS

Season Review 2012/13:

Advanced Stats
	Numbers	Rank
Pace	90.4	24
Offense	105.9	14
Defense	107.5	22
Rebound	49.5	21

4 Factors
Offense	Numbers	Rank	Defense	Numbers	Rank
eFG%	48.8	18	eFG%	50.0	17
TO%	13.0	5	TO%	13.6	16
Reb%	25.5	20	Reb%	26.6	17
FT%	21.6	11	FT%	24.7	30

Monthly Performance
	Record	OffRtg	DefRtg
November	4-13	103.9	108.2
December	7-7	110.5	109.6
January	5-10	111.0	111.4
February	7-5	106.2	105.1
March	4-11	104.8	112.4
April	7-2	108.7	105.1

The Raptors came into the past season with some expectations to be one of the Eastern Conference’s biggest surprises. After all, with their new head coach Dwane Casey, the Raptors improved from being the worst defense in the league in back to back seasons to a Top 15 team on defensive rate in the previous season. This was a huge accomplishment, while their biggest flaw (lack of speed on the backcourt) was corrected with the signing of the underrated PG Kyle Lowry and the draft of Terrence Ross. It seems like GM Bryan Colangelo was so obsessed in improving the team’s perimeter defense that he had no problems in completely overpaying the forward Landry Fields.

On the other hand, Andrea Bargnani was always a major question mark in terms of his availability let alone his performance levels, but the Raptors was going to receive the young Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas, who would be their post up player for the future, so they had some legit expectations for the past season.

What was the reality? A 4-19 start! The Raptors lost games via all possible scenarios, including three road losses in a row by 32, 19 and 18 points at Utah, at LA against the Clippers and at Portland; three losses in a row by 1, 1 and 5 points after overtime at Charlotte, Detroit and San Antonio. It didn’t matter in what way, the Raptors just kept on losing.

Toronto eventually improved a bit until Bryan Colangelo made a big bet trade in January by trading for Rudy Gay, in order to try to make a playoff push. The short term outcome of this trade couldn’t have been better, as the Raptors won seven of their following ten games, three of them by 4 or less points (100-98 at Indiana, 92-88 at NY against the Knicks and 100-98 once again against the Knicks). The franchise had finally their “closer” for the present and the future!

The problem was that the Raptors won just four of their following 18 games and their season was over, even though they won their last seven games of the season to end it with a more respectful 34-48 final record.

A lot of things went terrible for the Raptors at the end of the day…

Kyle Lowry didn’t have the breakthrough season that people were expecting after a good season at Houston. He started the season a bit out of shape and he was outplayed by Jose Calderon at the PG battle in such a way that Calderon became the team’s starting PG. Lowry clashed with head coach Dwane Casey, something worrying giving his previous track record of clashes with head coaches (he had already clashed with Kevin McHale in Houston and also with Lionel Hollins in Memphis).

Andrea Bargnani was an absolute cancer for the team in every possible way and I’m not even going to talk more about this, as it was the same old story that happens with Bargnani every season.

Landry Fields earns +6M$ per season, but played just 20 minutes per game and averaged 4.7 points/game. Enough said! Even though Coach Casey has never trusted on his rookies a lot, Jonas Valanciunas showed some flashes that he can indeed become a key piece for the future of this franchise, while Terrence Ross has never been used a lot by Casey.

NBA Premium Play 04/16: Toronto Raptors @ Atlanta Hawks

NBA - 701 Toronto Raptors @ 702 Atlanta Hawks

Projected Line: Atlanta by 9 points

Atlanta is still fighting for the #5 seed in the East and they'll achieve that if they win their last two games of the regular season. I read some statements from their players who seem to prefer facing Brooklyn over Indiana, so I expect the Hawks to show some fight today and tomorrow to grab the #5 seed, in order to face the Nets on the first round of the playoffs. Due to the Celtics/Pacers game cancellation, this game is now a National TV game and so, I expect Atlanta to play their starters for a considerable amount of minutes tonight, as they are still fighting over something on the regular season.

The Raptors are likely to be without Jonas Valanciunas once again for tonight's game and thanks to that, Aaron Gray will be their starting center and therefore, Atlanta's frontcourt will have a good speed edge over the slow footed Gray tonight. Toronto is coming from a nice home win over the Nets, on a flat contest for Brooklyn, who shot 13-44 (29.5%) FG on +16 feet attempts. Al Horford crushed the Raptors with 10-18 FG, 26 points and 12 rebounds on his team's last game against Toronto and I expect him to lead his team today to an easy win over the Raptors, who are likely to be more concerned about tomorrow's home game against the Celtics to end their season in style. Therefore, I'll be taking the Hawks in here.

Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 702 Atlanta Hawks (-6) @ -110 / 1.91 on Betonline

NBA Premium Play 04/12: Chicago Bulls @ Toronto Raptors

NBA - 705 Chicago Bulls @ 706 Toronto Raptors

Projected Lines: 182 points

***DOUBLE DIME PLAY***

This is a back to back game for Chicago, who defeated the Knicks at home yesterday in overtime. Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich played 50 minutes each, while Carlos Boozer played 47 minutes. From the available key players, only Luol Deng didn't play a massive amount of minutes yesterday (33 minutes) due to foul trouble. The main reason for that is the fact that I really don't like Toronto's mindset for tonight. Jonas Valanciunas won't play tonight and that will turn the Raptors into a super small ball team in here or Aaron Gray will return to the starting lineup and he brings little to the team barring pure size. 

The last game of the Raptors was at Chicago, on a game that they won. The Bulls were without Luol Deng and Toronto took advantage with that with some excellent shooting. Jonas Valanciunas played in Chicago and had an easy matchup with Nazr Mohammed, who was in the starting lineup, as the Bulls didn't have any other available player to play alongside Carlos Boozer on the frontcourt. Even with a much poorer frontcourt than usual, the Bulls completely outrebounded the Raptors by grabbing 60% of the total rebounds. However, that wasn't enough to beat the Raptors, who had a fluke game with some massive shooting numbers from the perimeter: 8-12 FG at the rim versus 5-7 FG from 10-15 feet, 10-24 FG from 16-23 feet and 7-18 3pts! Basically, the Raptors who shot 30% 3pts and 36% FG from 16-23 feet on their last 10 games had a super game at Chicago. Repeating the same fluke tonight will be impossible for the Raptors and so, Chicago with Luol Deng back has a nice matchup to have a much better defensive performance tonight.

The pace of the previous game between these two teams was just 86 and so, I expect this contest to be also a slow paced one. In the game played at Chicago, most teams had ridiculous offensive numbers, with the Raptors having the perimeter shooting numbers that I've mentioned previously, while the Bulls also surprisingly shot 10-17 3pts! I expect this game to have the slow pace the game at Chicago had, but with both teams struggling much more on their perimeter shooting and so, I'll be taking the Under in here on a Double Dime Play!

Pick: 4 units (Double Dime Play) on 705/706 Under 189 @ -110 / 1.91 on Bovada

NBA Free Premium Play 04/01: Detroit Pistons @ Toronto Raptors

Detroit  at Toronto

NBA - 731 Detroit Pistons @ 732 Toronto Raptors Projected Line: Toronto by 3 points Both teams played yesterday and they lost. Toronto didn't have a lot of chances against a shorthanded Wizards, as I had predicted on my Over play, Toronto's poor perimeter defense didn't show any effort and they were unable to stop John Wall, who ended the game with 7-15 FG and 10 assists. On the other hand, Detroit was super competitive at Chicago last night for the first time in a few games. It was interesting to watch Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond outplaying Chicago's frontcourt! Even though Detroit lost the game by 1 point, the team outplayed Chicago by 8 points when Greg Monroe was on the court and by 11 points when Andre Drummond was on the court! The Pistons's frontcourt duo will be decisive on tonight's game, as I expect Detroit to be competitive in here. These two teams faced each other in Detroit last week, in a game where the Raptors had a huge third quarter, where they outscored Detroit by 36-15 to achieve a 99-82 blowout win at the end. That game was the first time Drummond started a game alongside Monroe and they were completely outplayed by Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas, who combined 16-22 FG, 34 points, 21 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 blocks! Their defensive positioning wasn't the best, while the team didn't take advantage of them on offense. Detroit played much better yesterday and against a much tougher opponent like the Bulls and so, I expect the frontcourt battle to be at least competitive tonight. With a balanced battle down low, I don't see the Raptors having the edge on the backcourt tonight, especially with Jose Calderon fired up on his first trip to Toronto as a Piston. Therefore, I expect a much closer contest than the lines are suggesting and so, I'll be taking the Pistons tonight. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 731 Detroit Pistons (+6.5) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bookmaker

NBA Free Premium Play 03/31: Toronto Raptors @ Washington Wizards

Toronto  at Washington

NBA - 701 Toronto Raptors @ 702 Washington Wizards Projected Line: 196 points I believe we have a good value on the Over on this contest, even though we are in front of two teams who have been under machines. John Wall is the key for the Wizards and the team has been more competitive lately due to Wall's great offensive performances. However, the Wizards's defense has been regressing a lot. They are still an elite defensive team if we look at their season numbers (averaging an overall defensive rating of 104.5), but they have been struggling as of late on defense (defensive rating of 109.7 over their last five games). They have been especially regressing on pick and roll ball handler defense, while their transition is also getting poorer, as they have allowed 13.2 fast break points per game over their last five games. Toronto's offense is far from being an elite unit due to their lack of ball movement, but the good news for them is that the Raptors are now trying to attack more the basket, instead of being an one-dimensional jump shooting team. Over their last six games, Toronto has been averaging 50 points in the paint and therefore, I actually expect them to have a decent offensive game tonight. On the other side, Washington's offense will have John Wall, who will put the Raptors's defense in trouble with his speed. Toronto's defense has been struggling in stopping the transition games of their opponents, while their perimeter defense has been atrocious. So, no wonder that they've allowed 50-118 (42%) 3pts to their opponents over their last six games. Washington relies a lot on their perimeter shooting especially on home games, where they have been playing much better on offense, and therefore I expect them to have a good offensive game today. I see this game being a high scoring game and so, I'll be taking the Over in here. Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 701/702 Over 192,5 @ -110 / 1.91 on Betonline