The Los Angeles Clippers will host the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night in a battle of two of the top teams in the NBA. The Clippers have been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this season, but they face a tough Raptors team in this game. Toronto brings an NBA best 21-7 record into this matchup between NBA heavyweights.
The Raptors have lost their previous two games and will begin a very difficult road trip on Tuesday night. After taking on the Clippers, Toronto will travel north to take on the Golden State Warriors in Oakland. Los Angeles has also been struggling a bit of late, but are in a tight race with the Warriors atop the Pacific Division. The Raptors are a 3.5 point favorite over the Clippers in this game.
Lowry Struggling For Raptors
One of the main reasons for the recent struggle of the Raptors has been the play of point guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry was held scoreless in a Sunday night loss against the Milwaukee Bucks and took just five shots from the field. The All-Star is still dishing out an NBA best 10 assists per game, but the Raptors need more scoring from one of their leaders. Despite the recent skid, the Raptors are still averaging 115.4 points per game, fifth best in the league.
The Toronto Raptors took a huge gamble in acquiring Kawhi Leonard in the offseason, but it is paying off big time. Leonard leads the team with 26.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while still playing terrific defense. The Raptors are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA this season, allowing just 107.8 points per game. This will be a challenging road trip for the Raptors, but they are up to the task.
Clippers Offense Can Score
The Los Angeles Clippers don’t have a true star on their roster this season, but they have had plenty of players play great basketball. Small forward Tobias Harris leads the team with 21.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this season. Lou Williams is once again the best sixth man in the NBA, pouring in 17.6 points and 4.6 assists per night. Los Angeles might not be the most popular team in the league, but they know how to win games.
The Clippers are averaging 115.6 points per game this season, which is the fourth-best scoring average in the NBA. Los Angeles is shooting 38 percent from the three-point line and making almost 10 three-point shots per game this season. The Clippers could still use some work on the defensive end, and that could cost them against some of the better teams in the league.
Toronto Bounces Back With Win
The Raptors enter this road trip in a bit of a funk, but this is still one of the top teams in the league. The Clippers have to take on the Suns on Monday night before returning home to play Toronto. Being forced to play the Raptors on the second game of a back to back is a difficult task, and should help Toronto prevail. This should be a great game, so bet the Toronto Raptors -3.5 over the Los Angeles Clippers.
