Xam’s Daily Gems:
Raptors Money Line -126
The Raptors are coming into this game well rested, as they’ve only played one game since February 5th. It’s been a struggle for the Raptors at 18-33 and 2-8 in their last 10 games. The Rockets have been up and down for much of the year, but they have lost 2 straight and will be with out point guard Fred VanVleet tonight. They’ve also been terrible on the road this year, going just 5-18 away from the Toyota Center. The Raptors are looking to avenge a 29 point loss to the Rockets last week. Guys like RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Scottie Barnes have to step up if the Raptors are going to get the job done tonight. Guys like Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun can pose a problem for the Raptors, but Houston is only scoring about 113 points per game this year. As ridiculous as it sounds, the Raptors are only 4 games back of the 10th seed. They have the talent to make a run at the Play-In Tournament. In order to get there, they need to win games like this. Toronto has the offense to win tonight. If they can play just a little defense, Toronto should get it done in front of the home crowd tonight.
Kings Money Line -136
The Kings are coming into this game rested and motivated. They have only played once since February 5th, but that is when they got embarrassed by the Pistons in their own building. They should be supremely motivated tonight. For the Nuggets, it’s the 2nd night of a back-to-back, and they are coming off a very physical game against the Lakers. The Nuggets needed huge efforts from Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. to sneak out the win yesterday. All three of them hit at least 9 buckets and had 2 or more made 3s. That’s a lot to ask for again tonight. Also, despite being tied for 1st in the West, Denver has shown to be quite average on the road, with a 15-2 record away from Ball Arena. The question is what Sacramento can do defensively. They’re giving up 118 points per game this year. If Sacramento can play any sort of defense tonight, and slow down Denver’s perimeter defense, Sacramento should continue their climb and get out of the Play-In Tournament. They’re more than capable of making noise in the West, but to realize their full potential, they HAVE to win games like this tonight.