In the second game of Wednesday night's doubleheader on ESPN, the Raptors will continue their five-game road trip against the Clippers at 10 p.m. ET. The Raptors have lost two out of the first three games of this road trip, while the Clippers snapped their five-game losing streak last weekend against the Grizzlies.
The Raptors (32-34) are currently the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference and will likely stay in the play-in tournament, as they are 5.5 games behind the sixth-seeded Nets. The Clippers (34-33) are in the same spot as Toronto but have a better chance to move out of the play-in tournament. Los Angeles holds the eighth spot in the West but is a half-game out of the five seed.
Toronto is looking to get back into the win column after losing 118-113 to the Nuggets on Monday night. Fred VanVleet was among the Raptors' starters who scored in double figures, leading the way with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Second-year forward Scottie Barnes was ejected late in the game but will be back tonight.
As for the Clippers, they won their first game since returning from the All-Star break, defeating the Grizzlies 135-129 last weekend. The Clippers' perimeter defense struggled as they allowed Memphis to shoot 54.3 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from three-point range. The Clippers were outscored by 21 points in the third quarter (51-30). However, they had a massive fourth-quarter performance, outscoring Memphis 38-17. Paul George led both teams with a game-high 42 points (12-23 FG, 4-9 3pt) and 11 rebounds, while Kawhi Leonard pitched in with 34 points (9-20 FG, 3-7 3pt) and 10 rebounds.
Can the Raptors pick up a much-needed road win to keep pace in the Eastern Conference, or will the Clippers play better defense tonight and start to look like a contender for the NBA title? Below, we'll break down this late-night contest while giving our prediction, best bets, and a DFS lineup for basketball fans looking to win some cash.
Raptors vs. Clippers odds, picks, predictions
- Spread: Raptors +2.5 (+120); Clippers -2.5 (-145)
- Over/Under: 229.5
- Moneyline: Raptors +120; Clippers -2.5
The Clippers enter tonight's contest as short home favorites, which isn't surprising since they are 16-15 at home this season and 14-23 against teams with a record over .500. As we previously mentioned, Los Angeles has struggled since returning from the All-Star break going 1-5 straight up in their past six games and 1-5 against the spread. They've also allowed opponents to score 131.6 points per game over that span, which will not get it done no matter who is on the floor.
For bettors that want to lay the points with the Clippers, one trend they can lean on is that L.A. is 18-13 ATS after a win this season. Also, the Raptors have struggled on the road this year, which is one of the reasons why they are fighting for a spot in the play-in tourney.
Toronto has a 12-21 record away from the Scotiabank Arena and is 14-19 ATS this season. Moreover, the Raptors are 15-12 ATS as an underdog this season and 12-9 ATS as a road dog. That being said, the Raptors can pull off the upset tonight, as they are fully healthy and have the size to match up with Leonard and George on the perimeter.
However, if bettors are looking for a best bet tonight, they should play the OVER in tonight's game, especially with the Clippers' recent struggles. When the Raptors are on the road, the OVER is 20-13 -- one of the best marks in the NBA this season. Conversely, the Clippers have the worst OVER record at home (8-23). Since returning from the All-Star break, the OVER has hit four out of Los Angeles' past six games. Lastly, when these two teams played each other back in December, the total points scored was 237.
Best Bet: OVER 229.5
Best player prop bet for Raptors vs. Clippers: Kawhi OVER 2.5 three-pointers made (+105)
With the Raptors' struggling to defend the three this season, it's only right we take a chance on Leonard's three-point prop at plus money. The 31-year-old star forward is shooting an efficient 41.3 percent from beyond the arc on 4.6 attempts per game. Leonard is shooting a ridiculous 56.9 percent from three-point range over his past 10 games and has gone over 2.5 threes made six times. When Leonard went up against the Raptors in December, he only had 15 points and went 1-of-2 from three-point land. Nevertheless, we shouldn't expect him to take two threes tonight as the Raptors allow opponents to shoot 37.7 percent from three-point range this season and 47.1 percent over the past three games.
Raptors vs. Clippers: DFS lineups
Lineup assembled in DraftKings Showdown mode. Six spots, $50,000 limit
| Position | Player | FPPG | Salary |
| Captain (1.5x FPTS) | Fred VanVleet | 40.3 | $13,900 |
| UTIL | Paul George | 42.9 | $9,800 |
| UTIL | Pascal Siakam | 46.1 | $9,600 |
| UTIL | Scottie Barnes | 34.7 | $7,800 |
| UTIL | Eric Gordon | 21.6 | $5,000 |
| UTIL | Terance Mann | 18.5 | $3,000 |
VanVleet will be the captain of our showdown lineup, as we don't envision Russell Westbrook giving him any issues on the defensive end of the floor. The veteran point guard is averaging 41.12 DK points per game in his past five games and just dropped 47.8 DK points against the Nuggets on Monday night. VanVleet is a nice pivot at the captain spot because most DFS players will choose George, Leonard, or Siakam. We also threw in Gordon, who has scored in double figures in three consecutive games and could see more playing time with Norman Powell out with a shoulder injury.
