Get ready for 23 December’s NBA TV doubleheader with five key stats to know about each matchup.
Toronto Raptors (21-8) at Indiana Pacers (20-10), 7:00 ET, NBA TV
- On Sunday, the Raptors became the third team to overcome a 30-point deficit since 2000 and the first to so since Sacramento in 2009. The Kings followed up their 35-point comeback win with a 13-point loss in overtime to Cleveland. In 2002, the Lakers rallied from a 30-point deficit against Dallas and won their next game two days later against Utah.
- Sunday’s 32-point performance was the 36th game with at least 30 points for Kyle Lowry, with 32 of those coming as a member of the Raptors. Toronto is 21-11 when Lowry scores 30 points or more, including 1-1 this season.
- The Pacers had their five-game win streak snapped in Milwaukee on Sunday, dropping them to 7-7 on the road this season. The Pacers are 13-3 and have won four in a row at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, which is where Monday’s game against the defending champs will be held. Indiana’s defensive rating is 5.0 points per 100 possessions better at home (101.9) than on the road (106.9).
- Domantas Sabonis ranks second in the NBA in screen assists with 7.4 per game, trailing only Utah’s Rudy Gobert. The Pacers average 16.4 points per game off of Sabonis screens.
- Pascal Siakam ranks second in the league in wide-open field goal attempts (130), trailing only Giannis Antetokounmpo (152). Siakam has shot 59-130 (45.4%) on his wide-open attempts, including 43-104 (41.3%) for an effective field goal percentage of 61.9% on wide-opens shots.
New Orleans Pelicans (7-23) at Portland Trail Blazers (14-16), 10:00 ET, NBA TV
- The Blazers enter Monday’s game riding a four-game win streak. During the streak, Portland’s offense has been led by Damian Lillard (30.8 PPG, 7.8 APG) and CJ McCollum (29.3 PPG, 51.2 FG%, while the defense has been anchored by Hassan Whiteside (13.0 PPG, 19.0 RPG, 4.3 BPG).
- The Pelicans rank third in the NBA in percentage of points from 3-point shots (37.3%), trailing only Dallas and Houston. New Orleans averages 35 3-point attempts per game and connects at a 36.1% rate – both of which rank 11th in the NBA.
- The Blazers are the only team in the NBA to have more than half of their made baskets be unassisted (51.6%). According to Synergy, the Blazers run the second-most isolation plays (10.3% of offense) and second-most pick and roll ball handler plays (25.6%). The Blazers rank third in efficiency on both play types as they score 1.01 points per isolation possession and 0.95 per pick and roll possession.
- Hassan Whiteside leads the NBA in blocks (2.7 per game) and ranks third in the league in contested shots (15.0 per game). Opponents are shooting 55.1% at the rim against Whiteside, which ranks 24th among the 65 players that have defended at least 100 shots at the basket.
- Portland’s CJ McCollum has a 71.5% effective field goal percentage on catch and shoot attempts; that is the second-highest mark of the 75 players with at least 100 catch and shoot attempts behind Charlotte’s Terry Rozier (72.7%).
