The Raptors have lost 13 games in a row and will now face LeBron James and the Lakers on Tuesday (7:00 p.m. ET, TSN). Obviously, Toronto opened as a big underdog, but we’ve identified some of the best value-generating bets ahead of this interconference clash.
Darko Rajaković’s team isn’t just losing: it’s marching toward a franchise record. The Raptors franchise has encountered four different losing streaks of 13 in a row since joining the NBA in 1995, but their worst streak was 17 in 1997-98. If the Raps continue to lose, they will break the franchise record against Pascal Siakam and the Pacers at home on April 9. How ironic!
Meanwhile, the Lakers are still hungry. They sit at the ninth seed in the West, but are just 1.5 games behind the Kings and Suns for the seventh and eighth seeds. The difference between seven and nine is huge: seven means home in the Play-In and requires you to win just one game to advance to the playoffs. King James and Anthony Davis will be raring to go.
Let’s dive into the odd for this lopsided battle between conferences, then discover some stats and trends and reveal our predictions, best bets and best BetMGM player accessories.
Raptors vs Lakers odds, pick vs spread
All odds and props are from BetMGM, an authorized NBA gaming operator.
- ETA: Lakers -12.5 (-105) | Raptors +12.5 (-115)
- Money line: Lakers -900 | Raptors +575
- Below: Or 233.5 (-105) | U 233.5 (-115)
There are no surprises here. Shorthanded Raptors have gone 13-25 and against the spread at home this season, which tells us that Toronto’s losses haven’t even been that close. They can’t stay hot offensively or step up defensively to slow down superior offensive players.
The Raps’ average margin of defeat during this 13-game streak: 17.1 points. His record against the spread in that span: 3-10. His coverage rate over the last eight games: 11.1 percent (1-8). New York crushed Toronto 145-101 last Wednesday, then Philadelphia topped the Raps 135-120 on Sunday.
