After losing back to back games to Atlanta and Brooklyn, the Raptors have ripped off two straight wins against the Mavericks and Cavaliers at home to improve to 11-9. They are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, 5.5 games behind the first place Celtics.

In the win over the Cavaliers, it certainly helped matters that the Raptors had their best player, Pascal Siakam, back in the fold. Siakam had been out for a few weeks with an injury, but he looked good to go on Monday as he had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in the 100-88 win over the Cavs. OG Anunoby led the Raptors with 20 points while Gary Trent added 14 and Fred VanVleet chipped in with 13 points.  The raptors average 110.8 points per game, which ranks 19th in the NBA. They give up 108.5 points per game, which ranks 7th in the league.

The New Orleans Pelicans have won 6 of their last 8 games and 3 of their last 4 to improve to 12-8 on the season. They are tied atop the Southwest Division with Memphis and are just 2 games behind first place Phoenix in the Western Conference standings. The Pelicans are coming off a 105-101 win at home against the Thunder as 5.5 point favorites.

This one wasn’t pretty as the Pelicans were well below their 116.7 point per game average, which is fourth in the league. They only 44% from the floor and 28% from three, but the defense held the Thunder to just 37% shooting from the floor. The Pelicans give up an average of 111.2 points per game, which ranks 11th in the league. Zion Williamson led the way with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Williamson is averaging 22.5 points per game. Trey Murphy added 20 points while Jose Alvarado chipped in with 15 points.

Brandon Ingram did not play and is questionable with a toe injury while CJ McCollum is also out with an illness.