It’s a quick turnaround for the Raptors as they’re back in action on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers after losing a close and controversial contest to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Toronto went toe-to-toe with LeBron James and the Lakers but lost 132-131 to fall to 2-2 on its current six-game road trip on the West Coast.
Bet on Raptors vs. Clippers
TOR +10
LAC -10
The Clippers, who are double-digit favourites against the Raptors at bet365 on Wednesday, are coming off a 138-111 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday and are winners of six of their last seven contests.
Raptors vs. Clippers odds
| Raptors Moneyline Odds | +350 |
| Clippers Moneyline Odds | -450 |
| Over/Under | 237 points (over -110, under -110) |
| Spread | Clippers -10 (-110) |
| Time/Date | January 10, 10:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: TSN Stream: NBA League Pass (How to watch the NBA in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
About the Raptors (15-22 SU, 19-18 ATS, 21-16 o/u)
Officials awarded the Lakers 23 free throws in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s contest with the Raptors, including 19 in the last four minutes. That left Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic fuming after his team was awarded just two shots from the charity stripe in the final frame.
Rajakovic will likely be looking at a fine from the NBA for his postgame outburst towards the officiating, but his passionate comments should inspire his team heading into action on Wednesday.
This is not a typical back-to-back set for the Raptors, who will be playing for the second consecutive night at Crypto.com Arena, home to both the Lakers and Clippers. But for what it’s worth, the Raptors are 2-4 straight-up and 2-4 against the spread on the second half of back-to-backs this season.
On a more positive note, RJ Barrett continues to impress since being acquired from the New York Knicks. The Canadian is averaging 21.4 points and seven rebounds while shooting 58.5% from the field in five games with the Raptors.
About the Clippers (23-10 SU, 19-17 ATS, 15-21 o/u)
The Clippers will have a rest advantage over Toronto in this one and their starters didn’t expend a lot of energy last time out versus the Suns. Los Angeles won every quarter of that contest and led by as many as 30, so many of its key starters didn’t need to log substantial minutes.
Six Clippers players scored in double digits and they outrebounded Phoenix 44-25 and outscored the Suns 62-42 in the paint. Los Angeles shot very well as a team, going 53-for-85 (62.4%) from the floor and 15-for-29 (51.7%) from long range.
The Clippers, who are 15-4 straight-up and 11-8 ATS at home this season, rank fourth in the NBA in plus/minus differential (5.6) and are tied for fourth in steals per game (8.2).
Kawhi Leonard over 1.5 steals
-115
Injury concerns
The Raptors received some bad news prior to Tuesday’s contest with the Lakers as centre Jakob Poeltl will be out at least two weeks with an ankle sprain. Forward Otto Porter Jr. has missed the last four games with a right knee sprain and is questionable. Centre Christian Koloko is still out with a respiratory illness.
Los Angeles has a relatively clean injury report, with only forward Moussa Diabate listed out with a hand injury.
Betting trends
- The over is 6-1 in Toronto’s last seven games.
- The over is 5-1 in Toronto’s last six road games.
- The Clippers are 10-1 SU in their last 11 home games.
Player prop trends
- Scottie Barnes rebounded from a recent dud against the Warriors (six points) with a 26-point outburst on Tuesday against the Lakers to easily clear his points line (19.5). He’s -115 to clear 18.5 points on Wednesday and has reached that plateau in eight of his last nine games. However, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, two excellent defenders, should take on the responsibility of primarily guarding the Raptors star in this one.
- Immanuel Quickley has found easy chemistry with his new teammates, recording at least five assists in four straight games. He’s -115 to record over 4.5 assists against the Clippers.
- There’s excellent value on Clippers guard Terance Mann potentially surpassing his total for made threes (1.5, +180). He’s drained two or more three-pointers in four straight games and is shooting 55.6% from long range this month.
- Leonard is also on a roll in regards to blocks. He’s swatted away at least one shot in six straight games and eight of his last 10. Bettors will have to pay a steep -180 price if they think he can record at least one block against his former team. Could be a useful leg of a parlay.
Wagers to consider
- Raptors team total – over 113.5 points: -115. The Raptors team total was one of the bets we recommended on Tuesday and it cashed handsomely with the team exploding again for 130-plus points. Toronto has posted 130 points or more in three straight contests and is showing no signs of slowing down. Yes, the Raptors could show some fatigue on the second night of a back-to-back against a defensively sound opponent, but there’s no reason to doubt the team’s shooting confidence right now. Don’t expect the Raptors to put up 130-plus points again, but around 115-120 is definitely achievable with the team shooting the lights out right now.
- SGP – Clippers moneyline, Leonard to score 25 or more points, Leonard over 1.5 steals: +325. This is a classic revenge spot for Kawhi against his former team. The Clippers should be able to take advantage of the rest mismatch and score a win on their home floor against the Raptors. Kawhi has scored 25 or more in six of his last 10 games and recorded two or more steals in four of his last five. Mr. Load Management logged just 32 relatively stress-free minutes on Monday against the Suns and should be fresh.
