Bogut Could Return vs. Raptors; Odds and Predictions
Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE
The Golden State Warriors road schedule may incur some extra weight on their flight to Toronto this morning, as it is presumed that 7-foot-1 center Andrew Bogut will be suited up and ready to play against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.
The decision of whether Bogut will return against the Raptors is dependent upon how he feels before shootaround at the Air Canada Centre. But on Sunday, he was seen wearing his practice jersey and lining up with the starting rotation.
The Warriors have yet to offer any official word on Bogut’s return since they muffed up his initial prognosis. In fact, Bogut has yet to play since the first week of the season due to the nagging ankle injury and it was announced earlier last month that the team kept quiet about the Aussie’s offseason microfracture procedure in order to keep the optimism surrounding the team high.
Though, Bogut doesn’t necessarily need to rush back in order to make an appearance against the dreadful Raptors (16-28). The Warriors (26-17) are 2-point favorites against the Raptors with the line at 203.5 points according to Odds Shark and have the upper hand in most statistical categories.
The Raptors are power ranked at No. 24 in the league to the Warriors No. 8 ranking (per ESPN). They don’t boast any elite scorers to keep up with the Warriors’ backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Though, as a team they manage well, ranking No. 12 on offense (averaging 97.8 ppg).
Meanwhile, the Warriors haven’t faired well against Eastern Conference teams in the new year. The team is averaging a dreadful 37.8 percent shooting mark (down from 101.6 through the first two months) and 88 points per contest in a three-game losing streak.
On defense, Golden State has plummeted in the last few weeks after facing 11-of-13 playoff teams over that span. They currently rank No. 21 on road defense, allowing 99.7 points per game. Golden State lost its last matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks in a 109-102 game that had them as the 2-point underdogs.
The biggest factor to determine the game is whether the Raptors can slow down the hot-shooting Curry, who is averaging a staggering 30.3-point average in four games against Toronto.
Prediction: Warriors 104, Raptors 98
