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In Thursday night action in the 2020-21 NBA, two teams fighting for a place in the play-in tournament, the Toronto Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs, will lock horns at the Amalie Arena in Florida.
On Tuesday, the Toronto Raptors fell against the Atlanta Hawks, which was their fourth loss in their last five games. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs come into this matchup off road wins in Dallas and Orlando.
Match Details
Fixture - San Antonio Spurs vs Toronto Raptors | 2020-21 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Wednesday, April 14th; 7:30 PM ET (Thursday, April 15th; 5:00 AM IST).
Venue - Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL.
San Antonio Spurs Preview
The San Antonio Spurs have slipped to ninth in the Western Conference, thanks to their recent indifferent form, as the fight for play-in spots heats up. They have lost six of their last ten matchups, but they have fared better on the road, winning 14 of their 23 games.
With their win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, the San Antonio Spurs moved to within 2.5 games of the Mavs. The Spurs followed that up by a routine win over the Orlando Magic, with as many as six San Antonio Spurs players tallying double-digit point tallies.
Coach Popovich's side will have dig in if they are to have a shot at the postseason, as they have one of the toughest fixture runs of any side in the league.
Seven of the San Antonio Spurs' last ten games are against top-six teams, which includes double-headers against the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns.
Key Player - DeMar DeRozan
The San Antonio Spurs will look at their leader DeMar DeRozan for inspiration as the regular season winds to a close.
In his last ten matchups, the 31-year-old has led the San Antonio Spurs in points and assists (23.1 and 6.9) while shooting the ball at 51.3% from the field. He is ranked 14th among all starters in the league during this period.
DeRozan is one of the most consistent performers in the league, shooting the ball at close to 50% every night and at 88% from the line. His offensive rating is also at an all-time high of 123, thanks in part to his career-high 7.1 assists per night.
Against the Dallas Mavericks, DeRozan put on the kind of performance the San Antonio Spurs will need from him in the season's run-in, scoring 33 points and eight assists.
He also only committed two turnovers, which, like the rest of his Spurs teammates, has been a running theme this season. DeRozan rarely gives up the ball, ranking first for the least turnovers per game.
San Antonio Spurs Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Dejounte Murray l Shooting Guard - Derrick White l Small Forward - Keldon Johnson l Power Forward - DeMar DeRozan l Center - Jakob Poeltl.
Toronto Raptors Preview
After dominating the East for so long, the Toronto Raptors find themselves in an unfamiliar position in the conference's bottom-five and are battling to stay in playoff reckoning.
At this time of year, when the Toronto Raptors need to be making up ground, they are instead continuing to tread in the wrong direction, losing seven of their last ten matchups. To exacerbate matters, star guard Fred VanVleet is out injured and has no timetable set for a return yet.
There have been numerous issues for the Toronto Raptors this campaign, not least their rebounding, which is the worst in the league. They also haven't been efficient enough at the offensive end, ranking 25th in field-goal percentage.
Looking ahead at their remaining fixture list, the Toronto Raptors could still make a late surge into the play-in tournament. But they have looked like a pale shadow of the team that finished with the league's second-best record last season.
Key Player - Gary Trent Jr.
Recently acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers, Gary Trent Jr. has been a bright spark for the Toronto Raptors despite their inconsistent form. The 22-year-old has had to step up while VanVleet has been sidelined, leading an undermanned Toronto Raptors side to victory with a monstrous 44-point outing against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
With Kyle Lowry expected to depart in the off-season, Trent Jr. could be the new long-term partner for VanVleet in Toronto and is already showing how valuable he could be.
When CJ McCollum was injured in Portland, Trent Jr. was able to step up in a big way to support Lillard and could be crucial in the Toronto Raptors' playoff pursuit.
In his last ten matchups, the shooting guard has made a prolific 40% of all 3-ball attempts, which is the best among all Toronto Raptors starters and eighth among all players who have taken more than seven attempts per game in this period.
Toronto Raptors Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Kyle Lowry l Shooting Guard - Gary Trent Jr. l Small Forward - OG Anunoby l Power Forward - Pascal Siakam l Center - Chris Boucher.
Spurs vs Raptors Match Prediction
This could be a close matchup, as the Toronto Raptors have been ranked inside the league's top-8 defenses in the last ten games, while the San Antonio Spurs have been ranked fourth for points scored in the same period.
The Spurs, although inconsistent, are well-drilled on the road and look to be heading back up the Western Conference standings.
It could come down to a fourth-quarter battle, but the San Antonio Spurs could just edge this one out narrowly.
How to watch the San Antonio Spurs vs Toronto Raptors matchup?
The San Antonio Spurs - Toronto Raptors matchup will be shown on the Bally Sports Southwest - San Antonio and TSN networks in the USA. The game can also be streamed live with an NBA League Pass.
