The Los Angeles Lakers head to the Air Canada Centre to take on the Toronto Raptors. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, Dec. 7 and will air on TWC and SNT.
The Raptors lost a tough one against the Warriors 112-109 on Saturday. Kyle Lowry was the team’s high scorer, finishing with 41 points. The Lakers, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 111-91 loss at the hands of the Pistons on Sunday. Julius Randle scored 15 points and recorded 11 rebounds earning his eighth double-double of the season.
The high-powered Raptors offense (third in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 104.6) will square off against the poor Lakers defense (29th in the league with a defensive efficiency of 107.5), a matchup that should favor the Raptors.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Raptors won the first game 102-91. Lowry scored a game-high 25 points.
The Raptors are a heavy 12-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is set at 201 points. The Raptors enter the game with records of 12-9 Straight Up (SU) and 13-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 5-6 SU and 7-3-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Raptors are an exceptional shooting team from the line with 21.0 free throws made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Turning to the defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Raptors, who allow only 97.1 points per game. Toronto is very careful and attentive with the ball, averaging the fifth-fewest turnovers per game at only 13.3.
On the other side, the Lakers head into the game with records of 6-14 ATS and 3-17 SU. Most recently, Los Angeles is a meager 2-8 ATS over the last 10 games.
The Raptors’ win over Los Angeles in their last game couldn’t give them the edge in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, where the Lakers still lead 6-4 SU. However, with a 7-3 record, the Raptors have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor, ATS Winner – Tor, O/U – Under
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto’s last 6 games at home.
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Toronto’s last 16 games when playing LA Lakers.
Toronto is 7-18 SU in their last 25 games when playing LA Lakers.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Toronto’s last 8 games when playing at home against LA Lakers.
Toronto is 5-12 SU in their last 17 games when playing at home against LA Lakers.
Toronto ranks 17th in points per game with 100.6, while Los Angeles ranks 27th in points allowed with an average of 105.7 given up.
On average, Toronto puts up 105.0 points per home game (ranked seventh). Los Angeles ranks 24th in points allowed per road game with 106.0.
In its last game, Los Angeles lost by a 20-point margin. Toronto is 2-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Los Angeles has a 0-4 record in blowouts.
When opponents score fewer than 100 points, Los Angeles has a split 2-2 record. When Toronto is limited to under 100 points, it also has an even record (3-3).
At 1-15, the Los Angeles Lakers have a subpar record when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Toronto Raptors are 9-6 when they hit the century mark.
The Lakers have an offensive rating of 97.1 (ranked 28th), while the Raptors rank 13th for their defensive rating of 101.2.
Toronto has an average field goal percentage of 43.6%. Los Angeles is an underachieving 1-12 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Toronto Raptors attempt 22.0 three point field goals per game and the Los Angeles Lakers attempt 25.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 three pointers, Toronto has a solid record of 5-3, while Los Angeles has an abysmal record of 1-10.
The Toronto Raptors, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.36, rank 23rd in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers have a lower A/TO (1.31), ranking 25th.
The Raptors rank 13th in rebounds per game with 44.5, while the Lakers rank 22nd with 43.4 per game.
The Los Angeles Lakers rank 18th in offensive rebounding, while the Toronto Raptors rank 14th in defensive rebounding.
The Lakers’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 12.9% this season. The Toronto Raptors have a winning 9-4 record when their TOV% is 12.9% or higher.
