Hungry Raptors Looking to Keep Warriors Winless
The Golden State Warriors (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS, 1-0 O/U) were easily handled in their season-opening 108-103 loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday. The Toronto Raptors, (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS, 0-1 O/U) jumped all over the Philadelphia 76ers in their season opening 95-84 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers the same night and will look to keep the Warriors out of the win column tonight by doing the same tonight.
Free agent signee Corey Maggette led the Warriors with 27 points and Stephen Jackson added 26 points, but the team couldn’t stop Hornets point guard Chris Paul and power forward David West who put up a team high 24 points.
“We competed, we played well for our first game. I’m not happy about losing, but I’m happy about our effort. We played at a high level the whole game,” new Warriors point guard Stephen Jackson told the team’s official Web site.
The Raptors beat Philadelphia for the game’s final three quarters with all-star Chris Bosh leading the way with 27 points and grabbing 11 rebounds and Jermaine O’Neal adding 17 points.
“I feel really good,” O’Neal said. “I said from the time I got here that I wanted to be part of the team and bring playoff-type intensity every night. We have to treat every game like a playoff game.”
Here is a look at the key trends for each team, followed by mu in-depth analysis and NBA Wagering Free Picks:
NBA Odds
Golden State Warriors +7½ -110
Toronto Raptors -7½ -110
Over 205 -110
Under 205 -110
Analysis: I fully believe the Toronto Raptors, not the Philadelphia 76ers, are going to make a serious push for 50 wins this season with a talented, veteran-laden roster featuring two all-star players in their frontcourt. Still, the Golden State Warriors can score the ball, even though they’re going to be mediocre at best this season. Something tells me they get the narrow cover tonight while falling to the new and improved Raptors.
