The Toronto Raptor's trip to the West Coast continues as they head to Crypto.com Arena tonight to face the Los Angeles Lakers. The new-look Raptors have won three of their last four games since acquiring RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are fresh off a much-needed victory against the Clippers which snapped a four-game losing streak. NBA odds opened with the Lakers as 5.5-point favorites before shortening to -4.5, while the Over/Under has climbed from 230.5 to 236.5. Here are my best free NBA picks and predictions for the Raptors vs. Lakers on January 9.
Raptors vs Lakers odds
Raptors vs Lakers predictions
The Toronto Raptors have struggled on the road this season, going 6-12, but they've been competitive on this recent trip to the West Coast. They began this trip with a 116-111 win against the Grizzlies, and while they were boat-raced in the first half by the Kings on Friday, they bounced back with a 133-118 victory against the Warriors on Sunday.
A big reason why the Raps have gone 3-1 straight up and against the spread in their last four games is that their offense has been clicking since trading OG Anunoby for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. With Barrett and Quickley in the lineup, Toronto is sixth in the NBA with an offensive rating of 123.6 after sitting 17th in the league with a rating of 110.9 before the trade.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling to score lately. Over their last five games, they're dead-last in the league in offensive rating (105.0) while averaging 106.0 points per game. LeBron James and Anthony Davis continue to carry the offense, but the supporting cast isn't doing its part and the Lakers are a Bottom-10 team in turnovers and 3-point shooting.
The main reason to be wary of backing the Raps is that they'll be missing center Jakob Poeltl due to an ankle injury. Toronto included PF/C Precious Achiuwa in the trade with Anunoby and has been without backup center Christian Koloko all season due to a respiratory illness. Toronto's lack of depth inside could be problematic since the Lakers have plenty of size and are second in the league with 55.0 ppg in the paint.
That said, Toronto will be able to get out into transition and beat L.A. down the floor for easy buckets. The Raps lead the league with 17.9 ppg on the fast break, while the Lakers allow the sixth-most points on the fast break (15.6), with that number ticking up to 18.3 ppg over their last three games.
Since winning the In-Season Tournament, the Lakers have gone just 4-10 SU and 5-9 ATS, and there are reports of a growing disconnect between players and head coach Darvin Ham. With the Raptors playing much better offensively lately, take them with the points here.
My best bet: Raptors +4.5 (-110 at PointsBet)
Raptors vs Lakers same-game parlay
Raptors +4.5
Anthony Davis Over 29.5 points
RJ Barrett Over 4.5 rebounds
Even with Poeltl, the Raps are 22nd in the league in points allowed in the paint (52.4 ppg), and without him, they'll get torched inside by a Lakers squad that attacks the rim. Although the Lakers have struggled since mid-December, Davis has been red-hot. He's averaging 29.5 ppg on 59% shooting over his last 13 games, and he should destroy Jontay Porter and Chris Boucher tonight.
Barrett went off for 37 points against the Warriors on Sunday, but he also contributed in other ways by grabbing six boards and dishing out six assists. RJ's averaging 6.5 rebounds per game with his new team, and he had improved his rebounding with the Knicks as well, snagging at least five rebounds in six of his final seven games before the trade.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Raptors vs Lakers spread and Over/Under analysis
This line opened with the Lakers at -5.5 with the O/U at 230.5. Money came in on the Raptors, slimming the spread to -4.5, but the biggest line movement has been on the Over, with the total soaring all the way up to 236.5.
With the Raps offense showing massive improvements since the trade and the Lakers likely scoring at will inside, there's reason to think we'll get a shootout here. That said, if you missed the opening total, there are also good reasons not to chase the Over at this much higher number.
Keep in mind that the Lakers have struggled to score over their last five games, and they've also been much stingier defensively at home. While they are surrendering 118.4 ppg on the road, they're holding foes to just 109.6 ppg on 44.8% shooting at home.
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Raptors vs Lakers betting trend to know
The Raptors are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five meetings with the Lakers in L.A. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Lakers.
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Raptors vs Lakers game info
| Location: | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA |
| Date: | Tuesday, January 9, 2024 |
| Tip-off: | 10:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TSN, Spectrum SportsNet |
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