3rd Quarter Report
The Thunder have overcome an early deficit to take the lead back in this one. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Raptors 99-65.
If the Thunder keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 17-5 in no time. On the other hand, the Raptors will have to make due with a 7-16 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Toronto Raptors
Current Records: Oklahoma City 16-5, Toronto 7-15
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Scotiabank Arena — Toronto, Ontario
- TV: Fan Duel SN – Oklahoma
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $22.75
What to Know
The Thunder will be playing the full four quarters on Thursday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They will head out on the road to challenge the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena. The Thunder’s defense has only allowed 104.1 points per game this season, so the Raptors’ offense will have their work cut out for them.
The Thunder took a loss when they played away from home on Sunday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 133-106 margin over the Jazz. That 27 point margin sets a new team best for Oklahoma City this season.
Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were among the main playmakers for the Thunder as the former went 12 for 18 en route to 28 points plus five assists and three steals and the latter went 11 for 19 en route to 26 points plus seven assists and six rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander’s evening made it 11 games in a row in which he has scored at least 30 points.
The Thunder were working as a unit and finished the game with 32 assists. That’s the most assists they’ve posted since back in April.
The Raptors haven’t had quite the year their fans were hoping for to this point, but back-to-back wins may be a sign of good things to come. They came out on top against the Pacers by a score of 122-111 on Tuesday.
The Raptors’ success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Scottie Barnes led the charge by almost dropping a double-double on 35 points and nine assists. What’s more, Barnes also posted a 65% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in October. Another player making a difference was RJ Barrett, who almost dropped a double-double on 29 points and nine rebounds.
Oklahoma City is on a roll lately: they’ve won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season. As for Toronto, they pushed their record up to 7-15 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Thursday’s contest is shaping up to be a scrappy match: The Thunder haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 10.9 turnovers per game (they’re ranked first in turnovers per game overall). It’s a different story for the Raptors, though, as they’ve been averaging 15.8. Given the Thunder’s sizable advantage in that area, the Raptors will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Thunder took their victory against the Raptors in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 123-103. Do the Thunder have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raptors turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Oklahoma City is a big 9.5-point favorite against Toronto, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Thunder as a 8.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 227 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Oklahoma City has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Toronto.
- Mar 22, 2024 – Oklahoma City 123 vs. Toronto 103
- Feb 04, 2024 – Oklahoma City 135 vs. Toronto 127
- Mar 16, 2023 – Toronto 128 vs. Oklahoma City 111
- Nov 11, 2022 – Oklahoma City 132 vs. Toronto 113
- Feb 09, 2022 – Toronto 117 vs. Oklahoma City 98
- Dec 08, 2021 – Oklahoma City 110 vs. Toronto 109
- Apr 18, 2021 – Toronto 112 vs. Oklahoma City 106
- Mar 31, 2021 – Oklahoma City 113 vs. Toronto 103
- Jan 15, 2020 – Toronto 130 vs. Oklahoma City 121
- Dec 29, 2019 – Oklahoma City 98 vs. Toronto 97
