Only a few days ago, Norman Powell was the third-best Toronto Raptors scorer and Gary Trent Jr. a developing offensive threat on the Portland Trail Blazers, but the two shooing guards have switched places ahead of Sunday’s head-to-head meeting between the teams in Tampa.
Bookmaker 10Bet expects a high-scoring game with Portland’s points total set and 113.5 and Toronto’s at 114.5. The game total is at 228.5 with the odds at -109 for both the over and the under.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: March 28th, 6:00 A.M. (EST)
Powell was averaging a career-high 19.6 points per game on 43.9 percent three-point shooting in 42 games for the Raptors, but the team found itself on a miserable run of nine losses in 10 games ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline and had to act quickly.
With Kyle Lowry also on the trading block, Toronto seemed to have made a big step towards a rebuilding process, but the veteran point guard stayed put in the end, which should still keep the team’s playoff hopes alive. That, of course, if they can improve their form.
The Raptors, who play their home games this season in Tampa due to COVID-19 restrictions, find themselves with an 18-27 record, and the 2019 NBA champion faces an uphill battle in trying to extend a streak of consecutive postseason appearances to eight years.
Head coach Nick Nurse had the second-most efficient defense at his disposal last season, but the Raptors have slipped badly in 2020-21 and currently sit in the middle of the pack with a 109.8 defensive efficiency. With the offensive efficiency also just 14th in the league at 109.9, it’s no surprise to see the team currently outside of the top-10 places in the Eastern Conference.
The Blazers have gone 27-18 and are comfortably sitting sixth in the Western Conference. Damian Lillard is having an MVP-caliber season, and the team somehow came through a two-month period without starting center Jusuf Nurkic completely unscathed. Portland went 19-13 with the Bosnian on the shelf.
Adding Powell, who is a few years older than Trent Jr. and already proven in the league with over 60 games of playoff experience, makes Portland a dangerous dark horse in the race for the 2021 NBA title.
Head coach Terry Stotts still needs to put in a lot more work on the defensive end with only Sacramento (116.0) allowing more points per 100 possessions than the Blazers (115.2). However led by Lillard, they are among the most prolific offensive sides in the league and can out-shoot anyone if it comes to it.
