Toronto at Charlotte, Raps -3.5, total is183

Well can it be any worse today than Friday night? I can’t imagine how really. This afternoon on CBC the Raps will try to wash off the stink of a bad loss to the Hawks where Atlanta looked like an Xbox team with all their player ratings jacked up. Sure Bosh and O’Neal had solid games but once again the defense was horrible. I have been a fan of Jamario Moon and love the rags to riches story as much as the next guy but lets be honest. He should not be a starter with the kind of effort he is putting forth. In that whole game I remember one rebound that he used athleticism on and other that that he floated around like a cloud.

What the Bobcats lack in talent, they make it up in hard work. They will board hard and LB with have the game plan down. The Bobcats killed the Raps on the glass last season badly and I don’t see any reason why it won’t happen again today. The wing position is so weak I don’t know how they won the first three games. If Kapono is not hitting shots, the three spot basically is offering nothing to the team.

Here is everything you need to know about today.

  • Charlotte is in the midst of a difficult homestand in which every opponent reached the playoffs in 2007-08.
  • The Bobcats used a stellar defensive effort to post a 92-89 win over New Orleans on Friday night. The Hornets were held to 42.1 percent shooting - the lowest mark this season by a Bobcats’ opponent.
  • The Raptors turned in their worst defensive performance of the season by allowing Atlanta to shoot 54.3 percent in a 110-92 loss on Friday.
  • Sam Mitchell may be thinking about moving Anthony Parker out of the starting lineup since the shooting guard is off to a slow start. He’s shooting 38.8 percent, and managed a total of only 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting in the last two games.
  • Jason Kapono, who started seven games last season, could be poised to make his first start of the season after a solid 14-point performance Friday.
  • Charlotte and Toronto split four meetings last season.
  • It will be interesting to see how Matt Devlin calls a game against his former employer. CBC kicks off their season and I can’t wait for the big opening.

For the bettor

  • Raptors are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
  • Raptors are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 Sunday games.
  • Raptors are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Charlotte.
  • Raptors are 8-3-1 ATS in the last 12 meetings.
  • Favorite is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
  • Under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.

Prediction

As much as I hate to say it, the Raps are going to lose a close one today. J-Rich is going to feast on the Raps D and the Cats are going to win 95-91.

Other links

Raptors Republic - Looking ahead to the Jordcats.
Raptors HQ - Postgame from Atlanta.
Queen City Hoops - A preview of today’s game from the Bobcats perspective.

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