The Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors head to the left coast amid their worst stretch of the season with some big games on the schedule this week. Toronto has dropped three of its last four games while going 2-6 against the spread in the last eight. Incidentally, the Clippers are also in their worst stretch of the year, losing three of four games for the first time while going 1-4 ATS in their past five. The Raptors are a 4-point betting favorite at Staples Center tonight.
- The Raptors are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games vs the Clippers.
- The Clippers are 9-1 SU and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games at home.
- The Raptors are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight games on the West Coast.
Raptors vs Clippers Game Center
Two of the Top Five Scoring Offenses in the NBA
Offense shouldn’t be hard to come by in this game with the Raptors bringing the league’s No. 5 scoring offense at 115.4 points per game, less than a point behind the Clippers’ No. 4 scoring offense at 115.9 points per game.
The difference in this game will come down to who can get the most stops and, statistically, the Raptors are better positioned. Toronto has the NBA’s No. 6 scoring defense at 107.8 points per game compared to LA’s 112.8 points per game, which puts the Clippers in the bottom third of the league when it comes to that stat.
Both Teams are Well Below Offensive Season Averages
Through their first five games in December, the Clippers are averaging 109.2 points on offense on the back of a field-goal percentage of 38.8. Additionally, they’ve scored just 102.3 points per game in their last three outings.
That’s in conjunction with opponents having their best month of the season by shooting 43 percent from the floor and scoring 115.2 points per game – both higher than the average the Clippers had been allowing through October and November.
Toronto is in a similar boat offensively, shooting 39.2 percent from the floor for just 105.2 points per game in December. If one of these teams doesn’t get back on track tonight, we could be looking at the 13th UNDER in 16 games between these teams in LA.
Williams is Questionable With Hamstring Injury
LA’s first guard off the bench, Lou Williams, left Monday’s game vs the Suns with a hamstring injury and is questionable tonight. Playing without Williams and his team-leading 4.5 assists per game and 17.2 points per game will undoubtedly put the Clippers’ sputtering offense in more peril.
My Pick for Tonight
I’ll be backing the Raptors at -4. The line opened at 3.5 and betting is rapidly coming in on Toronto. The Raps are still the best team in the East and will be looking to start this road trip off on the right foot, especially after a disappointing loss at home to Milwaukee on Sunday. I’ve yet to see a total for this game, but if it’s more than 225, I’d be comfortable looking at an UNDER bet as well.
