Clippers Slumping as End of Season Nears

A three-game losing streak has dropped Los Angeles (43-22 SU, 36-28-1 ATS) into fourth place in the West with just seven games to go in the campaign. The Clippers are big favorites to right the ship when they host the Raptors (27-38, 29-36), who are coming off a big upset of the Lakers.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Raptors were double-digit underdogs at Staples Center when they upset the Lakers on Sunday, and they may be again by the time they tip off against the Clippers. Early action on LA had moved the Clips to 9.5-point favorites at the time of writing.

Toronto News & Notes

Trailing the Wizards by three games for 10th in the East, the Raptors look like a slam dunk to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2013 — but that hasn’t prevented the team from wanting to close the season strong.

Despite resting Fred VanVleet (hip) and OG Anunoby (calf) on the second night of a back-to-back on Sunday in Los Angeles, the Raptors improved to 6-4 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games with a 121-114 upset of the Lakers.

Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry combined to score 76 points for the Raptors, with Siakam adding 13 rebounds and Lowry dishing out 11 assists. Toronto also got solid production from bench players like Freddie Gillespie (11 points, seven rebounds in 19 minutes) and DeAndre’ Bembry (14 points, eight rebounds in 24 minutes).

There doesn’t seem to be any reason not to expect another spirited effort Tuesday from the Raptors, especially if VanVleet and Anunoby return to the lineup on two days’ rest.

“It’s tough because we’ve got guys a little banged up … but when we’re together, we go out there to win,” VanVleet told the Toronto Sun. “We’re still making a push when we’re out there. It’s just a matter of getting all together and being healthy at the same time.”

Los Angeles News & Notes

Kawhi Leonard returned to the Clippers lineup Saturday after a 10-game absence, but it wasn’t enough to prevent LA from dropping its third straight game, a 110-104 decision at home to the Nuggets. Leonard scored 16 points in 30 minutes and is expected to suit up against the Raptors in what would be his first appearance in consecutive games since early April.

The Clippers outscored Denver by seven points in the 25 minutes that Leonard and Paul George were on the floor, but their lack of depth was apparent when the reserves were in action.

Still without Patrick Beverley and Serge Ibaka, Los Angeles was -12 in the 13 minutes that Terance Mann was in the game and -11 in the 19 minutes when Nic Batum was on the court. Batum went scoreless on his two field-goal attempts and has scored three points or less in four of his last five outings.

Saturday’s game went comfortably UNDER the total of 221.5, continuing the Clippers’ trend of playing defensive-minded basketball coming off a loss. Los Angeles, which has gone UNDER the total in five straight and seven of its last eight, is 7-0 to the UNDER in its last seven games following a SU defeat.

Betting Pick: Raptors +9.5

Toronto is still playing with a lot of effort and pride, while LA has won by double digits just three times in the last four weeks.