Scottie Barnes and the new-look Raptors play host to the red-hot Clippers tonight, with Kawhi Leonard returning to Scotiabank Arena for just the third time since bringing Toronto a championship in 2019. Despite the Clips' fairly steep -7.5 odds — and the Raps' 16-28 record — this should be a solid game. It also features plenty of solid betting opportunities, which we will outline below to help you start your weekend in style.
It's been 'New Year, new squad' for the NBA's Canadian squad, with the Raptors dealing away O.G. Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Precious Achiuwa over the past month for the likes of Immanuel Quickley, Toronto native R.J. Barrett, and 2023 Nuggets champ Bruce Brown. "We the North" Nation must take a page from Joel Embiid's 2016 playbook and "Trust the Process," as their home squad has gone just 4-10 over the past four weeks.
However, there have been plenty of reasons for optimism. They started 2024 with a big win over the Cavs, Grizzlies, and Warriors. They took the Kings and Lakers 12 rounds in enemy territory. They even gave these very Clippers a scare in L.A. two weeks ago. The future is bright for Darko Rajaković's squad.
Of course, the future might be brighter for the Clippers. Kawhi, Paul George, and James Harden have hit their groove, and the ancillary pieces around them seem to be falling into place as well. Ty Lue's squad has gone 9-2 since the calendar turned, and an NBA-best 25-7 since mid-November. They have beaten a lot of good teams during that stretch, completely embarrassing some of them, but Toronto is far too scrappy to count out of this one.
Let's get into our best bets, top props, and final score prediction for Raptors vs. Clippers tonight in Toronto. Good luck, have fun and be sure to head to BetMGM, an authorized gaming operator of the NBA, for all the latest odds and props.
Raptors vs. Clippers: Betting odds, trends and insights
All odds and betting insights courtesy of BetMGM.
- ATS: Clippers -7.5 (-110) | Raptors +7.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Clippers -300 | Raptors +240
- Over/under: O 233.5 (-110) | U 233.5 (-110)
The Clips enter the first leg of their seven-game road trip as strong -7.5 favorites, which may seem like an easy smash for bettors. The Clips have gone 4-1 ATS in their past five games, 6-1 straight up in their past seven, and 9-4 SU in their past 13 away games. The Raptors, meanwhile, have gone 1-7 SU in their last eight games and 1-5 ATS in their past six.
According to BetMGM insights, 80 percent of ATS bettors and a whopping 94 percent of moneyline tickets are on the Clippers. The OVER has generated 67 percent of the over/under handle, even though the UNDER has hit in each of Toronto's past five games and four of the Raptors' past five home games.
Clippers center Ivica Zubac remains out with a calf injury, and both Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (ankle) and Immanuel Quickley (thigh) will also be sidelined. L.A.'s -300 moneyline denotes an implied win probability of 75 percent.
Raptors vs. Clippers predictions, best bets:
Call us crazy, but we're backing the Raps to cover tonight. Darko Rajaković's squad just played the Clippers tough in L.A. 16 days ago, staying in it until late in the fourth and ultimately falling 126-120. That road cover without Siakam gives us faith in Toronto's ability to cover at home with Brett Brown in uniform.
Quickley's ability to pace and space the floor will be missed, but Barrett has been shooting so well lately that Toronto might be okay without its new floor general. Dennis Schröder has historically played well against the Clippers, including a 22-point effort when these teams met on Jan. 10.
Barrett had 22 in that same game, and the Raps won the rebounding battle and put up 58 points in the paint. With Zubac out and Toronto coming off three days of rest, this should at least be a game. The Raptors play much better at Scotiabank, with an average home scoring margin of +0.4 compared to their road margin of -4.4.
Toronto has also gone 4-1 ATS in its past five games against opponents from the Pacific Division, for what it's worth. And with Paul George reportedly set to play through the groin injury he re-aggravated against the Lakers on Wednesday, anything can happen with his playing time.
This will all boil down to Barrett, Shröder, and Gary Trent stroking it from deep, Brown playing solid defense, and Raps centers Jontay Porter and Thaddeus Young crashing the boards. We know Barnes will be awesome, so that's not even a concern. When "the others" start delivering at home regularly, the fans will start buying into the ongoing process of the build around Barnes. For now, we like Toronto to cover but not win.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Clippers 117, Raptors 111 — Los Angeles wins (-300) but Toronto covers (+7.5) and the total goes UNDER (233.5).
Another solid over/under bet: Keep your eyes peeled for Toronto's team total UNDER, which is currently unavailable but could make for an intriguing value opportunity if and when it drops. The Raps' implied point total is 113.5, so if you could buy a couple of points and get their UNDER at 115.5 with a little juice, you would have some extra insurance. Toronto has been held to just 100 points in each of its past two games, and under 115.5 in five of its past six.
Raptors vs. Clippers: Top player prop bets
Kawhi Leonard points + rebounds: OVER 31.5 (-115)
When these teams last met, Kawhi had 29 points and three rebounds. We expect his scoring to dip a bit on the road, where the Clips are just 9-10 ATS and SU, but when his scoring dips his boards increase.
Kawhi had a 25-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double against the Lakers on Wednesday. Smash the OVER here, a combined total he has hit 15 times this season.
Scottie Barnes double-double: Yes (+130)
Barnes not only fits the Raptors' vision for the future of their team — he's the player they think will be the future face of the entire league. How can we argue? He has been special this year, and he's an easy guy for bettors to get behind as he continues to develop.
Of course, Barnes has offensive talent, with a smooth stroke as well as the ability to get to the line early and often. But he also has plenty of toughness and athleticism, averaging 8.4 rebounds per game and racking up 18 double-doubles. With Zubac sidelined, Barnes should pick up where he left off on Monday with his 22-point, 12-rebound effort against the Grizzlies.
Gary Trent OVER 2.5 three-pointers (-115)
With Immanuel Quickley out, Gary Trent must step up as a floor-spacer and shot-maker for the Raps. Schröder can only handle so much extra usage coming off the bench, especially if the always-scrappy Russell Westbrook and Terance Mann bug him from the perimeter.
Trent should be able to find himself open while the Clippers focus on his more consistently potent teammates. The veteran two-guard had two triples in his last game against the Clips, and that was in L.A. with Quickley active.
