Pacers vs Raptors Online Betting Odds
The Indiana Pacers will make the trip up to the Air Canada Centre to take on the Toronto Raptors on New Year’s Day. Toronto has been streaking since moving Rudy Gay out of town, while Indiana has been simply lights out this season, posting the top record in the Association at the close of 2013.[ad-4468020]
Indiana Pacers (25-5) at Toronto Raptors (14-15)
Date: Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Air Canada Centre
City: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
O/U Odds: 193
Spread: Indiana -5.5
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The Raptors have been enjoying life without Rudy Gay, winning five of their last six games, including upsets of Oklahoma City and Dallas, with that lone loss coming against San Antonio. The team’s most recent win came in come from behind fashion against Chicago on New Year’s Eve, 85-79.
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The Raptors outscored the Bulls 28-17 in the fourth quarter of that game. Emerging center Jonas Valanciunas led the team with 15 points, nine boards, and two blocks, also adding two steals and an assist for a full stat line. Point guard Kyle Lowry stepped up his scoring game with fellow guard DeMar DeRozan having an off night. Lowry scored 13 points on 4 of 10 shooting, including 3 of 8 shooting from beyond the arc. He also led the way with six of the team’s 16 assists. DeRozan hit on just 3 of 12 shots from the field as he scored just 11 points. As a team, the Raptors shot just 42 percent from the field.
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At the other end, the Raptors were able to step up their game and limit the Bulls to just 36.6 percent shooting from the floor. An area of concern was their inability to slow Joakim Noah, who hauled in 16 boards, including six at the offensive end in this contest.
Indiana won their last game at home against Cleveland. 91-76.
The Pacers also used a strong fourth quarter to propel themselves to a win, outscoring the Cavaliers 26-10 in the final frame. Paul George led all scorers with 21 points despite an off shooting night. He hit on 7 of 19 field goal attempts, including just 2 of 11 three-pointers. Roy Hibbert chipped in 19 points and a game-high five blocks, while David West contributed three blocks of his own. As a team, the Pacers shot 44.2 percent from the floor while limiting the Cavaliers to a clip of just 36.3 percent, including just 8.3 percent from beyond the arc on the night.
It’s been a bad idea to bet against Indiana this season given their dominant play, but the Raptors have been an inspired bunch, and the monotony of a long season can be livened with the introduction of small goals, and with Toronto eyeing a return to .500 in this one, an A-effort can be expected.
The Raptors are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games when playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
The play: Toronto +5.5
