The Los Angeles Lakers are in Toronto tonight for a face-off with the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The game is set to tip off at 7:00pm ET as the Raptors look to get a home win before heading out on a three game road swing. NBA Picks: Los Angeles Lakers vs Toronto Raptors at Sportsbook.com have the Lakers listed as a -8 road favorite.
Los Angeles is coming off a 126-117 Monday night win in New York against the Knicks, a game in which Kobe Bryant poured in a Madison Square Garden record 61 points. The victory was the Lakers third in a row and also the third win in their current six game road trip. Bryant, making up for the loss of Center Andrew Bynum, hit 19-of-31 shots from the field and 20-of-20 from the charity stripe.
The Lakers have now played two games without their talented, young big man and have won both; however, following tonight's contest, they face the Celtics and the Cavaliers in their home arenas. Bynum, who was averaging 14 points and eight boards per game prior to injuring his knee in a collision with Bryant, is likely out of action for the next eight to 12 weeks.
The Raptors have struggled this season, regardless of location, but they have managed to score an average of almost four more points per game at home (99.4 to 95.4). That has not kept them from dropping their last two games at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors fell 85-96 to the Bucks on January 30th and 90-113 to the Magic on February 1st.
Toronto, who lost last night 83-101 in Cleveland, has won just three of their last 10 games and they sit in last place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. At 19-31, Jay Triano's team is exactly 22 games behind the first place Celtics and almost four games behind the fourth place Knicks.
Sportsbook.com's NBA Picks: Los Angeles Lakers vs Toronto Raptors
Los Angles Lakers -8 (-110), Over 214.5 (-110), -340 (Moneyline)
Toronto Raptors +8 (-110), Under 214.5 (-110), +280 (Moneyline)
NBA Picks Betting Trend: The Lakers are 5-5 against the spread in their last 10 games as a road favorite with a spread between 8 to 10.5. The Raptors are 1-9 straight up in their last 10 games as an underdog with a spread between 8 and 10.5. The Over is 3-1 in the Lakers last four games versus an Atlantic opponent as a favorite with a total between 210 and 215.
