Toronto Raptors +4.0 (-110) - Click Here for NBA Odds 
Sun March 16 ‘08 9:05p

Both the Toronto Raptors and the Sacramento Kings are coming off of blowout losses, but at least the Raptors had last night off while the Kings were getting pummeled in Phoenix, and Toronto probably needs this win to avoid a winless road trip.

This is the fourth game of a five-game Western trip for the Raptors, and it has been a horrible adventure so far as they have lost the first three games to the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets, all by double-digits. Furthermore, they have a date with the Utah Jazz, the team with the biggest home court advantage in the NBA, up next. That means that this game vs. the Kings tonight is Toronto’s best chance to salvage a win on this trek.

The good news is that the Sacramento is the only team the Raps are facing on this trip that has a losing record, and they have had success vs. the Kings in the recent past, going 5-1 against the spread in the last six meetings including a 116-91 blowout win in Toronto this year. Granted, the Raptors are still without Chris Bosh and they are 2-5 straight up without him, but interestingly, all five losses have come against teams that would be in the playoffs right now (the Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards besides the first three games of this trip) while both wins have come vs. teams with losing records. The Kings fall into the latter category.

Sacramento had been playing good ball for a while, but they have regressed lately going just 3-8 both SU and ATS in their last 11 games. The Kings were pasted by the Suns 127-99 last night, thanks to a miserable performance defensively as they allowed Phoenix to shoot a spectacular 60.8 percent (48 for 79) from the floor! Then again, defense was never a strong suit for a Kings team that is allowing 103.8 points per game for the season, and even with Bosh, the Raptors have enough weapons to take advantage of this porous defense, especially from the perimeter.

Finally, while the Kings are a decent 19-12 SU at home, they have not exactly been dominant like they have in the past here, only winning their home games by an average of +2.2 points per game. Meanwhile, the Raptors have been respectable on the road, that last three games notwithstanding, going 15-18 SU while getting outscored by just a scant -0.2 points per contest.

NBA Free Pick: Raptors +4

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