Free Daily NBA Lock Pick, Thursday January 4th: Denver vs Golden State 10:00pm ET
CLICK TO SEE PICK NOW
The new-look Toronto Raptors (14-20, 16-17-1 ATS) travel to take on the Sacramento Kings (20-13, 17-16 ATS) in a non-conference matchup on Friday night. The Raptors are back in 12th in the East, while the Kings sit in 5th in the West. The Raptors just won on the road in Memphis 116-111, winning outright at 1.5-point underdogs. The Kings just went to double overtime with the Magic, winning 138-135, but did not cover the spread as 5.5-point favorites. This is the first of two matchups between these teams this season. Tipoff is scheduled for 10:00 EST from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Struggling to pick winners in the NBA? We have the best NBA Predictions available.
The Toronto Raptors needed to make a change, they liked their core, but they currently would not even make the play-in tournament, but are not one of the worst teams in the league for a high draft pick. They shipped out OG Anunoby, and brought back some nice pieces in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. They have won their last two games with their new lineup, with Barrett and Quickley starting both games. In their last game, Quickley led the way with 26 points in the win over the Grizzlies.
The leading scorers for the Raptors have not changed. Pascal Siakam is still their top scorer, and Scottie Barnes is still second. Siakam is averaging 22.4 PPG and 6.6 RPG. Siakam has had 24 or more in his past four games, including a high of 36 in the win over Cleveland. Scottie Barnes has a strong all-around game, he averages 21.0 PPG, 9.1 RPG and 5.8 APG. Barnes has scored exactly 20 points in both games with h is new teammates. Quickley has been scoring more than Barrett in their first games as a Raptor, Quickley is averaging 20.0 per game, while Barrett is getting 16.5 PPG. Quickley is an added threat from deep as he made seven threes over his first two games in Toronto. The Raptors are keeping Jakob Poeltl in the starting lineup at center with 10.4 PPG and 8.3 RPG.
Dennis Schroder has moved to the bench with the new acquisitions, he still leads the team in assists with 7.0 per game, while scoring 14.6 PPG. Gary Trent Jr is another scorer off the bench, and Chris Boucher is taking up the reserve post minutes. The Raptors are currently ranked 19th in offensive efficiency and 17th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. The Raptors rank 20th in the league in pace of play.
Injury Report:
Questionable: Otto Porter Jr.