The Portland Trail Blazers have quietly been one of the top teams in the Western Conference this season. This is a group that is currently tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 3 seed in the West with a 38-23 record. Portland has been victorious in its past five games and has topped the likes of the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers during that stretch. With a dynamic of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, this team is one of the more dangerous units around.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors were playing some of their best basketball prior to the All-Star break and that has continued minus a minor blemish at the hands of the Orlando Magic. The Raptors have won eight of their last nine contests and are coming off a convincing 118-95 victory over the Celtics earlier this week. Next to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Raptors have been arguably the most consistent group in the Eastern Conference so far this season.
How to watch Trail Blazers at Raptors
- Date: Friday, March 1
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Scotiabank Arena -- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Streaming: fuboTV - (free trial - NBA League Pass add-on available)
- TV: ESPN
- Live stats: GameTracker
- Odds: Raptors -5.0
Odds and Analysis
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Storylines
Trail Blazers: It's obviously something that isn't overlooked, but Damian Lillard is the straw that stirs the drink for the Trail Blazers. During the team's five-game winning streak, his scoring numbers are actually down if that can be believed. Lillard is averaging just 20.4 points during that stretch, but is coming off a 33-point performance against the Celtics on Wednesday. If Portland wants to take down Toronto, Lillard is going to have to fill up the stat sheet.
Raptors: On the other hand, the Raptors continue to improve as the regular season rolls along. The team acquired center Marc Gasol at the trade deadline and this team is so deep that he's been coming off the bench. Serge Ibaka, Pascal Siakam and Gasol make up one of the more dangerous frontcourts around, but they will have their hands full in going up against Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter. It'll be interesting to see how this matchup breaks down throughout the contest.
Game prediction, pick
Both teams have been been playing well as of late and the Trail Blazers are winners of five consecutive games. However, going on the road to face the Raptors is no easy task. Look for Toronto to take this one at home.
