The Toronto Raptors (52-19) are peaking at the right time, winning three in a row as NBA bubble play winds down. They have locked down the second seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference for the upcoming playoffs. On Friday afternoon, they face the Denver Nuggets (46-26), currently in third place in the Western Conference but losers of two straight and just 1 ½ games ahead of Oklahoma City and Houston, so if they can’t turn the ship around, they could end up playing a much tougher team in the first round than the Utah Jazz.
As you put together your basketball betting plan for the weekend, don’t miss our preview of this showdown between NBA contenders.
NBA Game: August 14
Denver Nuggets vs Toronto Raptors
Game Details
When: Friday, August 14, 2020, 1:30 pm ET
Where: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando
Radio: Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM Denver / CHUM 1050 AM Toronto
TV: ESPN
Why should you Bet on Denver?
The Nuggets had a chance to pull closer to the second-seeded Clippers on Wednesday night but were dealt a 124-111 loss. The Nuggets pulled away in the second quarter to go into the locker room with an eight-point lead at halftime. However, the Clippers outscored the Nuggets in the second half, 74-53, permitting just 19 points in the fourth quarter, turning what had been a close game into a rout down the stretch.
Jerami Grant came off the bench to lead Denver with 25 points. Nikola Jokic (17 points), Michael Porter Jr (11), Jamal Murray (10) and Torrey Craig (10) all tallied double figures in points. Jokic led the team with 13 assists and seven rebounds, as the inside-out game paid a lot of dividends for the Nuggets, particularly in the first half. However, once the Clippers figured out how to defend against their attack and the Denver shooters went cold, the Clippers were able to pull away, and the Nuggets did not have a response.
Why should you Put your Money on the Raptors?
Toronto held off a feisty Philadelphia team on Wednesday, prevailing 125-121. The 76ers did have Joel Embiid back, but he was limited to 14 minutes, putting up five points and an impressive (given his minutes) nine boards. Philadelphia ran out to a 32-25 lead after the first period and still led by seven at the half, but the third and fourth quarters saw Toronto reassert themselves on offense and win down the stretch.
Once again the Raptors showed a masterful degree of balance on offense. Kyle Lowry and reserve Chris Boucher led the team with 19 points apiece, and Norman Powell (17 points), Pascal Siakam (15), Marc Gasol (11) and Fred VanVleet (10) also scored in double figures. Siakam and Boucher led the Raptors with nine rebounds apiece, and VanVleet dished out six assists. The strength of the Raptors is not that they have one predominant scorer but that they have so many different options, which makes ball distribution key to their success. If you like Toronto, you see this multiplicity of offensive choices doing more damage than Denver can deal with.
Final Score Prediction
qThe Raptors have elevated their game as the postseason approaches, priming themselves for another deep playoff run, even after the departure of Kawhi Leonard for the Clippers. The Nuggets are having some issues with their system, and the Raptors are not the best team to figure out how to revamp things against. I predict a final score of Toronto 118, Denver 111.
Nuggets vs Toronto Raptors | Bet on the Game Now!
