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The LA Lakers open a three-game road swing with a visit to the Toronto Raptors in one of five games on Thursday’s schedule.
This will be the teams’ first meeting of the season, with the Lakers at 15-5 and holding second in the West, while the Raptors are 15-7 and sit second in the East.
Here’s a preview of this LA Lakers vs Toronto Raptors game, scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
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LA Lakers vs Toronto Raptors Preview and Odds
Moneyline: Lakers (+107) vs Raptors (-127)
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Spread: Lakers +1.5 (-110) vs Raptors -1.5 (-110)
Total (O/U): Lakers o228.5 (-110) vs Raptors u228.5 (-110)
Editor's note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
LA Lakers vs Toronto Raptors preview
The Lakers head into this contest after a 125-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns that snapped their seven-game winning streak and closed out their four-game home stand.
That performance highlighted how the Lakers struggled with Phoenix’s pace, as they failed to slow down a Suns team that, despite being outrebounded, still put up 12 more shot attempts and generated quality looks. Phoenix finished with 35 assists on 52 made field goals.
The Raptors, meanwhile, cooled off after a nine-game surge, dropping back-to-back road contests before bouncing back with a narrow three-point win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Over their last 11 outings, Toronto has posted the league’s second-best defensive rating, trailing only the OKC Thunder, and holds the fourth-best net rating, while also ranking top 10 in assist percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Lakers, during the same stretch, have operated with the seventh-best offense, though their defense has been middle of the pack at 16th in defensive rating.
LeBron James is coming off his toughest performance of the season. It remains to be seen how he and Austin Reaves will match up with Toronto’s length, with Luka Doncic out for personal reasons and Marcus Smart sidelined due to lower back injury management.
The Raptors will also be short-handed, as RJ Barrett is out with a right knee sprain and Jakob Poeltl is unavailable due to lower back injury management.
LA Lakers vs Toronto Raptors betting tips
Doncic’s absence looms large for the Lakers, and this will be the first time this season that James takes on primary ball-handling duties for most of a game. Based on how he looked against Phoenix, he could have difficulty. Expect him to finish under 25 points but record more than 10 assists.
Look for Reaves to score more than 22 points and for the Raptors’ Scottie Barnes to pace Toronto with at least 23.
LA Lakers vs Toronto Raptors prediction
We lean toward Toronto here, as the Lakers’ offense may sputter without Doncic and with James still looking troubled.
Our prediction: Raptors win by 11.
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