L.A. Clippers at Toronto Raptors
Time: 7:05 PM ET
Spread: LAC -1
Total: 211
Betting odds c/o Bovada
The Toronto Raptors currently sit at No. 2 in the Eastern Conference and are 10-7 SU against Western Conference teams. Tonight, the Raptors will host Chris Paul and the L.A. Clippers, with daily NBA lines showing the Clippers as 1-point favorites at Bovada.
Toronto is 18-9 SU at home this season while the Clippers are 13-10 SU on the road. The Clips are 13-10 against Eastern Conference opponents, and these two teams’ talent levels and contention status are roughly the same.
The Raptors are a team loaded with athleticism on the wings with Terrence Ross and DeMar DeRozan. Toronto has no problem scoring the basketball, putting up 105.8 points per game, a big part of why NBA oddsmakers have the total set at 211 for this contest. The Clippers boast the third highest scoring offense in the league at 106.5 points per game. Combining the teams’ averages gives a figure of 212.3. Click to learn how NBA odds work.
The Clippers are coming off a 105-94 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last night, despite out-scoring the Cavaliers 31-11 in the final quarter. No Clipper performed exceptionally well in the loss. Chris Paul and Jamal Crawford combined to shoot just 10 of 28, while Blake Griffin had struggles of his own, going 7 of 17 from the floor for 16 hard earned points.
Griffin is once again an All-Star starter, and it’s hard to find fault with the fans’ selection. He’s averaging a 22.87 PER while putting up averages of 22.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game; but most impressively, is Griffin’s 5.1 assists per contest. He’s developing a game far more complex than most suspected he would coming out of Oklahoma where he mostly relied on jumping over defenders.
Griffin has a back to the basket game, can push the ball in transition, and is comfortable shooting on the perimeter. His ceiling still has not been reached, and other than LaMarcus Aldridge, it’s hard to construct an argument that any 4-man is better.
Over his past 10 games, Griffin has shot 53.4 percent from the floor and averaged 20.9 points per game. As he goes, so go the Clippers: Griffin averages 23.7 points per game in victories, but just 20 points per game in the 17 Clippers losses. The offense begins with Chris Paul, but ends with Griffin. DeAndre Jordan can flush it down with his limited skill set, but if the Clippers are going to force teams to double, or over play pick and rolls, it is going to be because of Griffin.
Paul once again made the All-Star team, though there are many pundits saying Damian Lillard deserved the nod. Even so, the Clips put two All-Stars in the game and the Raptors lone All-Star is starting point guard Kyle Lowry.
Lowry making the game as a starter speaks volumes to how much more intelligent fans are being with their ballots. He’s long been one of the best and most under appreciated floor generals in the league, because he impacts the game so many different ways on both ends of the court.
Lowry chases down loose balls and long rebounds, plays passing lanes very well and can distribute as well as anyone of his small stature. Lowry has exceptional court vision, and he’s been on his ascent for quite some time, but maybe most ignored it until the Raptors made it impossible for that to be the case any longer.
Toronto must be taken seriously not just in the East, but also by Western Conference teams because having a guy like Jonas Valanciunas means the Raptors can bang with any bigger teams they encounter. Jonas is a threat on the blocks, and has a strong frame. He’s posting 12.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while also blocking 1.2 shots. His 20.7 PER is tied with Lowry for the best mark on the Raptors.
Sixth-man Louis Williams has long been a great spark plug and he’s fulfilling that role once again this season, giving the Raptors 15.2 points off the bench in just 24 minutes a game. The Raptors have a lot of depth in the frontcourt, where Amir Johnson, Patrick Patterson, Tyler Hansbrough and James Johnson (out), round out a rotation that is quietly very good.
The Raps don’t tear teams up on the glass (just 21st in rebounding), but the team ranks 2nd in the league in Offensive rating, and a lot of it is due to great picks set by Johnson, Patterson and Hansbrough. It is not often that small aspects get praised, but it is the role players that make Toronto more than just another mediocre Eastern Conference team.
Injured: Out- J.J. Redick (back), G, Probable- LAC; James Johnson (Hamstring), F, TOR; Questionable- L. Noguiera (groin), C, TOR
