Oklahoma City turned 18 Memphis turnovers into 30 points on Friday. Toronto has the stronger defense in our grades, and taking the ball away would give it a chance to score before Memphis gets set. If the Grizzlies take better care of the ball, the Raptors will have to do more of the work in the half court, where it matters who’s available to create shots.
Memphis can take away the easy points
The turnovers were only half the problem in Memphis’s 128–97 loss to Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies shot 22% from three while the Thunder hit 55% from the field. Memphis had won and covered its first six games before losing and missing the spread in three straight. One of those losses was a 135–134 game against New Orleans, so the skid includes a night when Memphis’s offense gave it every chance to win.
DraftKings had Toronto favored by 3.5 Monday morning. The Raptors earn a B on defense in our grades. Against that defense, getting a shot up consistently would give Memphis a chance to keep the game close and make Toronto earn its points against a set defense.
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Toronto’s offense found help in Milwaukee
Alijah Martin and RJ Barrett scored 27 apiece in Toronto’s 121–107 win in Milwaukee, and Jamal Shead handed out 16 assists. Martin hit six of seven threes, a shooting night that’s hard to count on again. Shead’s passing is another part of that win to watch if Toronto has to share the playmaking again. Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley missed that game and were limited in Sunday’s practice.
One hot offense can still leave the total short
Toronto scored 70 in the second half in Milwaukee, and the game still finished at 228. Oklahoma City put up 128 against Memphis, but that game ended at 225. Both fell below Monday’s 231.5, a number that Toronto’s games have exceeded four times in nine tries and Memphis’s three times in nine. A few extra possessions can help Toronto’s margin. For the total, the question is whether Memphis can keep scoring at the other end.
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