Toronto @ Los Angeles
Current Records: Toronto 26-38; Los Angeles 36-27
The Toronto Raptors might have tired legs after a game yesterday as they head on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. ET May 2 at Staples Center. Both teams are out to turn their luck around after having lost tight contests in their previous games.
The Raptors lost a heartbreaker to the Utah Jazz when they met in March, and they left with a heavy heart again this past Saturday. Toronto fell in a 106-102 heartbreaker. Toronto's loss came about despite a quality game from shooting guard Fred VanVleet, who had 30 points and seven assists along with six rebounds.
Speaking of close games: it was close but no cigar for Los Angeles as they fell 110-106 to the Sacramento Kings this past Friday. This was hardly the result Los Angeles or its fans were betting on, as they were favored by 11.5 points over Sacramento heading into this matchup. Point guard Dennis Schroder had a pretty forgettable game, finishing with only eight points on 4-for-13 shooting and turning the ball over five times in his 36 minutes on the court.
The losses put Toronto at 26-38 and the Lakers at 36-27. A pair of stats to keep an eye on: The Raptors are stumbling into the contest with the second most fouls per game in the league, having accrued 21.4 on average. To make matters even worse for Toronto, Los Angeles comes into the contest boasting the fourth most fouls drawn per game in the league at 21. So the cards are definitely stacked in Los Angeles' favor.
The Lakers are a big 9.5-point favorite against the Raptors, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Lakers, as the game opened with the Lakers as a 7-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
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Toronto have won ten out of their last 11 games against Los Angeles.