TORONTO vs BOSTON
When: 2/11/2021 7:30 PM
Where: TD Garden, Boston

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE: -4.5 Boston
PREDICTION: BOSTON , TORONTO

Oddsmakers currently have the Boston Celtics listed as -4.5 point favorites versus the Toronto Raptors, while the game’s total is sitting at 222.5.

The Celtics have gone 9-6 against Eastern Conference teams. Boston has a 12-6 record when scoring more than 100 points.

The Raptors are 9-6 in Eastern Conference play. Toronto is third in the Eastern Conference shooting 39.1% from downtown. Norman Powell leads the Raptors shooting 43.8% from 3-point range.

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Celtics won 126-114 in the last matchup on Jan. 4. Tatum led Boston with 40 points, and Fred VanVleet led Toronto with 35 points.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Tatum is averaging 26.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Celtics. Kemba Walker is averaging 12.2 points and 3.3 assists over the last 10 games for Boston.

VanVleet leads the Raptors averaging 3.3 made 3-pointers while scoring 20.4 points per game and shooting 38% from beyond the arc. Chris Boucher is averaging 7.6 rebounds and 12.6 points per game over the last 10 games for Toronto.

LAST 10 GAMES:

Celtics: 4-6, averaging 111.1 points, 41.8 rebounds, 21.8 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.4 points on 48.2% shooting.

Raptors: 6-4, averaging 120 points, 41.5 rebounds, 25.5 assists, 10 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.9 points on 46.9% shooting.

INJURIES:

Celtics: Romeo Langford: out (right wrist), Marcus Smart: out (calf).

Raptors: Yuta Watanabe: out (ankle), Patrick McCaw: out (knee), OG Anunoby: out (calf).

BOTTOM LINE: Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics host the Toronto Raptors. Tatum is ninth in the NBA averaging 26.8 points per game.

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TORONTO vs MONTREAL
When: 2/10/2021 7:38 PM
Where:

TV: 7:38 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: MONTREAL , TORONTO

Oddsmakers currently have the Montreal listed as -105-moneyline favorites versus the Toronto, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.5.

One of the NHL’s oldest rivalries will be renewed atop the North Division when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.

Toronto recorded a 5-4 overtime victory over Montreal in the season opener on Jan. 13. Since that meeting, the teams have risen to the top two spots in the division, with the Leafs three points ahead.

On paper, the two clubs are among the league’s elite — with the odd scheduling caveat that they have barely played each other. Nine games remain between the Leafs and Habs over the final three months of the regular season.

As good as the two Original Six rivals have looked for much of the season, they each enter Wednesday’s matchup looking to improve on subpar performances.

The Maple Leafs recorded their lowest shot total (19) of the season Monday against the Vancouver Canucks but still emerged with a 3-1 victory. Toronto has gone eight games (7-0-1) without a regulation loss.

“We really didn’t have any business being in that game,” said Auston Matthews, who scored the game-winning goal 9:22 into the third period.

“You’ve got to … as a team, learn to fight through these kinds of games where maybe the puck’s not bouncing your way or you don’t have your good legs that particular night,” Matthews said. “Just fight through and find a way, and that’s what we did tonight.”

Matthews has scored in eight consecutive games as part of a 10-game points streak. The star forward has 14 points (11 goals, three assists) over those 10 games.

The Canadiens return to action after a pair of difficult games against the last-place Ottawa Senators. Montreal suffered a 3-2 loss on home ice on Feb. 4 before defeating the Senators 2-1 on Feb. 6 in Ottawa.

Despite the victory, Habs coach Claude Julien described his team as “a very ordinary group” in its most recent outing.

“I didn’t think we played our best games against Ottawa,” Julien said. “I’d even say that our second game was worse (than the first game). We have talent and depth, but if our work ethic and our combativeness aren’t at a maximum, we’re just like any other team.”

Montreal is 3-1-0 in its past four games.

The Habs also play Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers, so goalies Carey Price and Jake Allen are likely to split the two starts. Price likely will face Toronto because Allen started the most recent game, though Allen has played well enough (4-1-0 record, .940 save percentage) that it wouldn’t be surprising if he got the nod on Wednesday.

Price is off to a slow start by his normal standards, with a 4-1-2 record and an .899 save percentage through seven games.

Frederik Andersen also has been inconsistent over the season’s first month, but the Toronto goaltender has stopped 58 of 60 shots (.967 save percentage) over his past two games.

Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner has 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) over an eight-game points streak.

Montreal’s Jeff Petry and Josh Anderson have four goals apiece over their past four games. Anderson is riding a three-game scoring streak.

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TORONTO vs WASHINGTON
When: 2/10/2021 7:00 PM
Where: Washington

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: WASHINGTON , TORONTO

Oddsmakers currently have the Toronto listed as 5.5 point favorites versus the TORONTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 229.5.

The Wizards have gone 4-11 against Eastern Conference teams. Washington has a 6-15 record when allowing over 100 points.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a stretch like this where, great win — two- or three-point win, last seconds of the game — tough loss, great win, same thing,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “Three-and-three in the last six. What we’ve gone through, I’m not usually fired up about 3-3, but we’ve gone through a lot, and our guys battled back.”

The Raptors are 8-6 against Eastern Conference opponents. Toronto averages 14 turnovers per game and is 4-1 when turning the ball over more than opponents.

“We all challenged each other to play harder and be more into it, and that didn’t just include the five guys that were on the floor,” said Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, who scored 32 points. “That was also the guys on the bench. We definitely went out there and earned it after giving up 70 (points) in the first half.

“A 27-point third and a 16-point fourth. You can live with that. You can survive that way. So, hopefully, we’ll build on that moving forward.”

The matchup Wednesday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Davis Bertans leads the Wizards averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers, and is scoring 10.3 points per game while shooting 33.1% from beyond the arc. Russell Westbrook is averaging 13.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists over the last 10 games for Washington.

Fred VanVleet is averaging 20.7 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Raptors. Norman Powell is averaging 18.3 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 40.4% over the last 10 games for Toronto.

LAST 10 GAMES:

Wizards: 3-7, averaging 106.5 points, 44.7 rebounds, 22.4 assists, 6.8 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 42.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.8 points on 47.0% shooting.

Raptors: 6-4, averaging 116.4 points, 41.4 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 10.6 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.5 points on 46.7% shooting.

INJURIES:

Wizards: Thomas Bryant: out for season (left knee).

Raptors: Patrick McCaw: out (knee), Kyle Lowry: day to day (back), OG Anunoby: out (calf).

BOTTOM LINE: Bradley Beal leads Washington into a matchup against Toronto. He leads the league scoring 33.3 points per game.

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VANCOUVER vs TORONTO
When: 2/6/2021 7:00 PM
Where:

TV: 7:08 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: TORONTO , VANCOUVER

Oddsmakers currently have Toronto listed as 185-moneyline favorites versus Vancouver, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.5.

The visiting Vancouver Canucks, who looked like a tired team playing a rested one on Thursday night in a 7-3 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs, hope a day off makes a difference Saturday night as the three-game series continues.

The Canucks did not make a lot of mistakes, but they did not have the puck often as Jason Spezza notched his eighth career hat trick and Auston Matthews added two goals for the Maple Leafs.

“It definitely wasn’t our decision making,” Canucks coach Travis Green said. “I thought we looked like a tired team playing against a fast team.”

The Canucks were playing their fourth game in six days and lost for the third straight time. The Maple Leafs were coming off a four-day layoff.

“We were a rested team playing against a very tired team that has had a very tough schedule,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. “So frankly speaking, I expected us to be really good and make it hard on Vancouver. The challenge, of course here now, is to regroup and do it again.”

The Maple Leafs have defeated every team in the North Division this season and have eight wins.

“We’ve seen everybody, but I think the greatest challenge throughout this whole schedule is to beat the same team back-to-back,” Keefe said. “In this case, we play Vancouver again (Saturday and Monday). We get the edge here, they regroup and we’ll have to get better. This year, the other team won’t feel good about (losing) the first game. So it’s important for us not to take our foot off the gas.”

The Canucks have two games left on a six-game trip that started last Saturday with a win over the Winnipeg Jets and continued with losses to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday and Tuesday.

“I’m not going to sugar-coat it, we weren’t good enough,” said Canucks captain Bo Horvat, who scored a goal on Thursday. “We need to come to play Saturday night. It’s not our goaltender’s fault. We’re giving up too many grade-A opportunities. We’ve got a lot of guys in the room who’ve played a lot of important hockey and know what it takes to win.”

The Canucks will have to contend with Matthews, who has scored in five straight games for a total of six goals, and Mitchell Marner, who has points in six straight games (two goals, eight assists) after getting a goal and two assists on Thursday.

The game on Thursday was the first for the Maple Leafs after taking seven of a possible eight points on an Alberta road trip. Toronto won twice at Calgary, then split a pair of games at Edmonton with an overtime loss.

Keefe promoted Wayne Simmonds to the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander. Tavares scored his 350th NHL goal on Thursday.

Nic Petan played his first game in nearly 11 months Thursday after his promotion from the taxi squad and had an assist.

“There will come a time where we have to settle on the people we think are our absolute best lineup,” Keefe said. “We don’t think we’re quite there yet.”

The Maple Leafs will be without defenseman Travis Dermott, who left the game in the first period Thursday with an injured left leg.

“It looks like it’s pretty minor,” Keefe said. “It’s just a charley horse.”

Mikko Lehtonen will replace Dermott on Saturday.

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TORONTO vs MEMPHIS
When: 2/8/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: MEMPHIS , TORONTO

Oddsmakers currently have Toronto listed as 2 point favorites versus Memphis, while the game’s total is sitting at 222.

Toronto Raptors (10-13, eighth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (9-9, 10th in the Western Conference)

Memphis; Monday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Memphis will try to end its three-game slide when the Grizzlies take on Toronto.

The Grizzlies have gone 3-6 at home. Memphis is fifth in the Western Conference in rebounding with 45.1 rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas leads the Grizzlies with 10.2 boards.

The Raptors are 4-8 on the road. Toronto ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference with 24.7 assists per game led by Kyle Lowry averaging 7.0.

The matchup Monday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.

TOP PERFORMERS: Ja Morant leads the Grizzlies scoring 18.6 points per game, and is averaging 2.2 rebounds and 7.2 assists. Dillon Brooks is averaging 14 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 35.9% over the last 10 games for Memphis.

Fred VanVleet is averaging 20.2 points, 6.3 assists and 1.8 steals for the Raptors. Pascal Siakam is averaging 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 37.4% over the last 10 games for Toronto.

LAST 10 GAMES: Grizzlies: 7-3, averaging 113.8 points, 43.8 rebounds, 30.5 assists, 10.7 steals and 5.9 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.7 points on 47.2% shooting.

Raptors: 5-5, averaging 113.8 points, 41.8 rebounds, 24.8 assists, 10.3 steals and five blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.3 points on 47.3% shooting.

INJURIES: Grizzlies: Killian Tillie: out (foot), Brandon Clarke: out (calf), Sean McDermott: out (shoulder), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out (knee), Justise Winslow: out (hip).

Raptors: Patrick McCaw: out (knee), OG Anunoby: out (calf).

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TORONTO vs ORLANDO
When: 2/2/2021 7:00 PM
Where:

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: ORLANDO , TORONTO

Oddsmakers currently have the ORLANDO listed as 5.5 point favorites versus the TORONTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 215.5.

The Orlando Magic know they will need to get off to a better start Tuesday night if they are going to defeat the visiting Toronto Raptors.

The Magic trailed 27-15 after shooting 27.8 percent from the field in the first quarter on the way to a 115-102 loss to the Raptors Sunday night at Tampa.

“Getting off to a bad start made it more difficult,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “And the turnovers (four in the first quarter and 11 for the game) hurt us. They’re good at it. They take turnovers and they turn them into points.”

To make matters worse for the Magic, Aaron Gordon left the game in the third quarter with a left ankle injury. He was going to be evaluated to determine the severity of the injury. Gordon scored 14 points.

The Magic have lost three in a row and finished January with a 4-12 record. They are 2-11 since the Jan. 6 season-ending injury to Markelle Fultz (torn ACL, left knee).

Toronto has defeated Orlando nine consecutive games dating to the 2019 playoffs.

Magic guard Evan Fournier, who scored 11 points Sunday, said that attitude has been a problem.

“Of course, we need to do better defensively, we’ve got to basically be better offensively, we’ve got to make shots, I’ve got to make shots,” he said. “But I really think it starts with the way we approach everything. To me, that’s the one thing and we have to change that.”

Cole Anthony led Orlando with 16 points against the Raptors.

“They’re a tough-minded defensive team,” Anthony said. “They help a lot. They’re all active. They’re constantly moving, so it’s definitely difficult to get into the paint and get to the spot we’re comfortable with, but it’s not impossible. I think we can still do a better job so we’ve just got to keep working.”

Unlike the Magic, the Raptors started fast and never looked back Sunday to end a three-game losing streak.

“We just came out ready to go,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “You could see it right from the defensive stand at the start, really good execution offensively, and just kind of played pretty solidly throughout. There was really no dips in effort or energy or any of that kind of stuff, just a solid workmanlike performance.”

The Raptors had 30 points and 10 rebounds from Pascal Siakam. Kyle Lowry had 12 points and a season-best 15 assists and Aron Baynes had eight points and a season-best 16 rebounds.

Siakam, after a slow start, is playing with enthusiasm.

“Over the past weeks, I haven’t been feeling well, little injuries here and there,” Siakam said. “For me, that’s the main thing. If I feel good, I have the ability to go out there and bring the energy and live with the results.”

Siakam shot 12-for-23 from the field Sunday, including only two 3-point attempts (both misses).

“I think (3-pointers) will probably work their way back in, but I think it’s a conscious effort on his part, our part, to get him going to the basket and get him a little bit more composed at the basket, too,” Nurse said.

The Raptors were without Norman Powell (right quadriceps contusion) and OG Anunoby (left calf strain) on Sunday. Powell could return Tuesday, but Anunoby could need another week.

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ORLANDO vs TORONTO
When: 1/31/2021 7:00 PM
Where:

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE: -5.5
PREDICTION: TORONTO , ORLANDO

Oddsmakers currently have the TORONTO listed as -5.5 point favorites versus the ORLANDO, while the game’s total is sitting at 215.5.

It will be a case of two teams desperately in need of a win when the Orlando Magic visit the Toronto Raptors at Tampa on Sunday.

The Magic have lost two in a row and 10 of their past 12 games, while the Raptors have lost three straight and four of their past six.

“It’s very frustrating when you try and try and not a lot of good comes out of it,” Magic center Nikola Vucevic said after scoring 10 points in a 116-90 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. “We’re just not very good right now.”

The Raptors, who have won the past five meetings between the teams, lost 126-124 to the Sacramento Kings at home Friday despite a strong fourth-quarter rally.

“The difference between a winning team and a losing team is not as big a gap as you would think,” said Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, who scored 26 points. “Not one time this year have we been in a game where it feels unfathomable that we could win. It’s just the little things we have to do at a higher level. That’s what makes a good team.”

The Raptors, who trailed by 18 points late in the third quarter Friday, got to within one with 1:08 remaining on a basket by Yuta Watanabe.

Sacramento then went up by five and VanVleet’s 3-pointer ended the game. Pascal Siakam, who matched his season best with 32 points, missed an important free throw with 37.9 seconds left.

But it was at the other end of the court that led to the loss.

“We were not connected on defense,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

“I think we’ve got to get better at communicating,” said Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who scored 17 points before being ejected on a technical foul with four seconds left. “We switch defenses a lot, coach throws things at us on the fly, and our communication just isn’t at the level that it should be. … sometimes we don’t talk enough, we’re not loud enough.’

“I think they were taking it right to the front of the rim on us,” Nurse added. “We weren’t doing a good job of controlling the ball. There wasn’t the early help. Late help was a little late as well.”

The Raptors were without Norman Powell (right quadriceps contusion) and OG Anunoby (left calf strain) on Friday.

Both players did individual workouts on Saturday, but the team ruled Anunoby out later in the day and listed Powell as doubtful.

The Magic won their first four games of the season and have struggled since.

“We’re not making progress, and we have to be able to do that,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “We’ve got to hang in there. The easy thing to do would be to give in. I don’t think we’ll do that. The only thing you can do in this league when things aren’t going your way is work and compete. That’s it. Those are the two magic words. That’s what we have to be locked in on.”

Terrence Ross led the Magic with 24 points on Friday.

“Sometimes you just need to win a game, and that’s where we’re at right now,” Clifford said. “We need to find a way to regroup (Sunday), get ourselves in a better place mentally. We need to find a way not to play well, we need to find a way to win.”

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TORONTO vs INDIANA
When: 1/24/2021 1:00 PM
Where:

TV: 1:00 PM
LINE: -1.5
PREDICTION: INDIANA , TORONTO

Oddsmakers currently have the INDIANA listed as -1.5 point favorites versus the TORONTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 219.

The Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers will be carrying the momentum of important wins when they meet Sunday afternoon in the opener of a two-game set at Indianapolis.

After two straight losses, the Pacers beat the Orlando Magic 120-118 Friday on Malcolm Brogdon’s 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining in overtime. The Pacers tied the game on a 4-foot shot by Domantas Sabonis with 10.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter but fell behind by five points in overtime.

“Our guys didn’t quit,” Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren said. “They found themselves down in the fourth and found themselves down in overtime and kept coming back.”

The Raptors, meanwhile, rebounded from a lethargic loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., with a convincing 101-81 victory in the rematch on Friday.

With Kyle Lowry out with an infected toe, Norman Powell started in his place and scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the first quarter.

“Night and day in terms of our effort defensively,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “When you move hard on defense, you move hard on offense. It helps the pace of play. We were flying around.”

Pascal Siakam, who was listed as questionable for the game with a groin injury and did not practice Thursday, scored 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Lowry could be ready to play against Indiana.

After the 111-102 loss to the undermanned Heat on Wednesday, Nurse referred to the effort as “unacceptable” and said it was the team’s worst defensive effort of the season “times three.”

“Even though it was a close game (Wednesday) for the most part, a lot of the reason why it was so close were mistakes that we normally don’t make,” Powell said.

The Raptors led by as many as 21 points in the first quarter Friday, allowed the Heat to tie it at 61 during the third quarter, and then pulled away again.

“I think it was a big win for us,” said Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, who had 13 points. “Obviously, losing doesn’t sit well with anybody around here. And so the last day and a half people were pretty uptight, but it was good to get back on the winning side and to play the way that we do.”

Pacers center Myles Turner returned to the lineup Friday after a two-game absence with a fracture in his right hand. The Pacers had allowed 129 and 124 points respectively in two games without Turner, who had 22 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks on Friday.

Turner played about a half of the overtime because of cramping.

Jeremy Lamb scored 22 points in his second game back after surgery to repair a torn ACL, torn lateral meniscus, and a lateral femoral condylar fracture in his left knee, an injury that incurred in a game at Toronto last Feb. 23.

He provides a scoring option that is needed after Victor Oladipo was traded and with the player acquired to replace him, Caris LeVert (left kidney), unavailable.

But the final offensive option of the game was Brogdon.

“I Iike to take big shots,” Brogdon said. “It wasn’t a set call. Coach told me he was about to call a timeout. I’m glad he didn’t. … I knew where the clock was.”

“He seems cool and calm but at the same time he’s the one who’s motivating us and firing us up,” Turner said of Brogdon.

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DALLAS vs TORONTO
When: 1/18/2021 7:30 PM
Where:

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: TORONTO , DALLAS

Oddsmakers currently have TORONTO listed as 3.5 point favorites versus DALLAS, while the game’s total is sitting at 219.5.

The Toronto Raptors will try for their third straight win Monday night when they play the Dallas Mavericks in the middle game of a stretch of five consecutive contests at their temporary home in Tampa, Fla.

The Raptors, who have struggled early in the season, defeated the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday and Saturday to open their homestand and have four wins in 12 games. The margin of victory was three points in each game against the Hornets, who missed the potential tying shot in both of them.

The undermanned Mavericks are 6-6 after losing their second consecutive game Sunday, 117-101 at home to the Chicago Bulls.

Luka Doncic, the Mavericks’ 21-year-old guard, passed Michael Jordan on the career list with his 29th triple-double, finishing with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists. Doncic is tied with Grant Hill for 15th in triple-doubles.

The Mavericks are missing five rotation players because of COVID-19 protocols and guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is out with a left groin strain.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse was pleased to get the victories against the Hornets, but said he felt there was considerable room for improvement.

“You know, I keep saying the same thing over and over. There’s some stretches of really good basketball and the stretches that aren’t so good cannot be as not so good as they were (Saturday),” Nurse said. “Those have to be average or slightly below and I thought we dipped a lot: Some great segments, some really poor segments. Probably our really good basketball segments weren’t as long (Saturday) as they have been in the last three or four games.”

One encouraging development for the Raptors Saturday was the play of struggling Norman Powell, who came off the bench to score 24 points and match his career-best six 3-pointers.

“I know 24 is a big night, we know he’s capable of that, that’s what we need, we need his punch, 15 or so off the bench,” Nurse said. “We’re going to need that offense, keep the offense ticking over with the second unit.”

Another bench player, Chris Boucher, continued his strong play with 20 points and nine rebounds. Boucher’s emergence has been vital because of the poor play of Aron Baynes, who was lifted after four minutes and 20 seconds and did not return.

“I know we’re not getting very much out of (Baynes) at this point,” Nurse said. “We read the game, you know. He’s almost like a reserve now. His stint is going to last as long as things are going well, or he’s impacting well.”

Doncic had 30 points in the first half on Sunday, although the Mavs were already trailing by 15 by halftime.

“The second half, I played terrible,” he said, alluding to his six points on 2-for-11 shooting. “I was being selfish a little bit because I had 30 points in the first half. That wasn’t me in the second half.”

Kristaps Porzingis added 20 points for the Mavericks. In addition to Hardaway, Jalen Brunson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell and Josh Richardson were out because of health and safety protocols.

Hardaway is listed as day to day. “We don’t think it’s serious,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

Brunson could return to the lineup Monday.

The game Monday will be the second of five games in seven days for the Mavericks — including three on the road — in what Carlisle called “the most challenging” week of the season.

“We’re very depleted, so we’re just going to have to be really tied together,” he said.

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TORONTO vs NEW ORLEANS
When: 1/2/2021 7:35 PM
Where:

TV: 7:35 PM
LINE: 1
PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS , TORONTO

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW ORLEANS listed as 1 point favorites versus the TORONTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 213.

The New Orleans Pelicans’ season got off to a good start when they went on the road and beat the Toronto Raptors in their opener.

The Raptors needed a few more chances before they got their first win.

The two teams meet again as the Pelicans get their chance to host the finale of the season series Saturday.

Toronto started well enough in the opener, taking a 57-50 halftime lead, but it got outscored 38-22 in the third quarter and lost 113-99 on Dec. 23.

The Raptors followed that with losses to San Antonio and Philadelphia before getting the elusive first win against visiting New York, 100-83 on Thursday.

The 0-3 start was just the second one in the history of a franchise that won the NBA championship two years ago and finished last season with a 53-19 record.

“It just feels good because that first win is hard to get in any season,” said guard Fred VanVleet, who led the way against the Knicks with 25 points. “Losing three in a row at any time of the season is not acceptable around here. Enough is enough. It was time to get a win.”

Toronto coach Nick Nurse benched forward Pascal Siakam, who prematurely walked off the court when he fouled out late in the loss to the 76ers two nights earlier. Nurse described the “disciplinary” action as “internal” and wouldn’t elaborate.

The Raptors attacked the paint aggressively against the Knicks and that opened up 3-point shooting opportunities. They took advantage by making 17 of 52 from beyond the arc while the Knicks made just three of 36.

“I thought our guys did a much better job of attacking to put some pressure on the paint,” Nurse said.

New Orleans (3-2), which has alternated wins and losses through five games, beat host Oklahoma City 113-80 on Thursday. Brandon Ingram scored 20 points to lead seven Pelicans in double figures even though he was ejected in the third quarter after a flagrant foul.

“Early in the year, we’re trying to get better,” first-year coach Stan Van Gundy said. “We’ve been struggling offensively so it was good to see the ball go in the basket. It was good to score some points.”

The Pelicans, who outrebounded the Raptors 45-35 in the first meeting, outrebounded the Thunder 58-40, as guard Josh Hart, who scored 12 points, came off the bench to grab 11 rebounds and former Oklahoma City center Steven Adams added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“With Brandon going out, somebody had to pick it up,” guard Eric Bledsoe said. “I thought the whole team did.”

The Pelicans outscored the Thunder 28-7 in the fourth quarter, tying a franchise record for fewest points allowed in a fourth quarter, and led by as many as 33 points.

“I thought our defense was pretty good overall,” Van Gundy said. “It was just a good night and we need to keep moving forward. The games come fast and furious here.”

This game starts a four-game homestand for New Orleans, which played four of its first five games on the road during a seven-day span.

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