The Toronto Raptors’ 2019-20 season ended with a 92-97 loss to the Boston Celtics in Orlando on Friday, Sept. 11. Toronto gave its best effort to repeat as champions of the NBA after winning its first ever title last season, but the Raptors were eliminated from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Toronto forced a Game 7 with a 125-122 overtime victory on Wednesday, Sept. 9 behind a 33-point performance from Kyle Lowry. On Friday night, Lowry shot just 5-for-15 and 1 of 6 from long range for 16 points. He grabbed six rebounds and fouled out.
Toronto shooting guard Fred VanVleet led the team with 20 points on 8 of 20 shooting from the floor including 4 of 9 from three-point range. He also added six assists in the loss. Serge Ibaka scored 14 points with eight rebounds, Pascal Siakam added 13 points and 11 rebounds and Norman Powell finished with 11 points.
The Celtics were led by Jaylen Brown, who put together a 29-point performance to lead all scorers. He shot 9 of 23 from the floor and knocked down four 3-pointers in eiht attempts. He also grabbed 12 rebounds for a double-double and dished out seven assists as Boston moved on.
The Raptors came in as 2.5-point underdogs, so they covered the spread in their final game in the Orlando bubble. The point total was set at 203.5, so the under hit by a significant margin.
Against the spread
Toronto finished fourth among all NBA teams in covering the spread. The Raptors finished 46-36-1 against the spread during the 2019-20 season for 56.1%. They trailed only the Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers in covering the spread.
Here’s a look at the top five teams in the NBA at covering the spread in the 2019-20 season.
- Boston Celtics: 62%
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 60.8%
- Los Angeles Clippers: 56.6%
- Toronto Raptors: 56.1%
- Miami Heat: 55%
Point totals
Games involving the Raptors were slightly lower scoring than originally thought, as unders hit at a record of 43-39-1 for 52.4%. Toronto ranked eighth in the league in unders. Here’s a look at the top 10 NBA teams at hitting the under.
- Houston Rockets: 59%
- Boston Celtics: 56.1%
- Memphis Grizzlies: 55.4%
- Golden State Warriors: 53.8%
- Los Angeles Lakers: 53.8%
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 52.6%
- Los Angeles Clippers: 52.5%
- Toronto Raptors: 52.4%
- Charlotte Hornets: 52.3%
- New York Knicks: 52.3%
Win/Loss record
The Raptors cashed in on plenty of moneylines this season, finishing with an overall record of 60-23 for the third best winning percentage at the time they were eliminated at 72.3%, behind only the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks.
Here’s a look at the top five NBA teams ranked by winning percentage.
- Los Angeles Lakers: 73.8%
- Milwaukee Bucks: 73.5%
- Toronto Raptors: 72.3%
- Los Angeles Clippers: 67.5%
- Boston Celtics: 67.5%
What’s next in the NBA?
While the Raptors are no longer a part of the NBA Playoffs, the league still has plenty of compelling storylines and matchups for basketball fans to look forward to.
The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers are finishing up their series in the Western Conference semifinals. The Lakers are heading into Saturday night’s game with a 3-1 series lead over the rockets and are a six-point favorites going into Game 5 according to a popular United States sportsbook.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles clippers lead their series against the Denver Nuggets 3-2 heading into Game 6. The Clippers are 8.5-point favorites heading into Sunday’s game, which starts at 1 p.m. ET. The Clippers are heavy favorites to win the series with -2500 odds, while the Nuggets’ odds stand at +1100 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
The Celtics and Miami Heat will get their Eastern Conference finals series started on Tuesday, Sept. 15. No time has been announced for Game 1. Boston is heading into that series with -139 odds to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, while Miami’s odds stand at +115 heading into the series.
