Lakers vs Raptors Picks and Predictions: Will Raptors Let Down vs Large Spread?

The Toronto Raptors are going for their sixth straight win tonight, as they face off against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time this week, this time in The Six. 

In that meeting on Monday, Toronto won 114-103 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate and has continued to play well while the Lakers continue to struggle without Anthony Davis, losing three straight. Can the Raptors meet expectations and cover a big spread this time around?

Find out in our free NBA picks and predictions for Lakers vs. Raptors tonight, March 18.

Lakers vs Raptors odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

The Raptors opened this matchup as 9-point home favorites after closing Monday’s meeting as 4.5-point road chalk. The early action has seen the line jump back-and-forth between the opening number and 8.5. The total hit the board at 224.5 and has gotten as high as 225.5 as of Friday afternoon.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Lakers vs Raptors predictions

• Prediction: Lakers +9 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 225 (-110)
• Best bet: Barnes Over 25.5 pts +rebs (-115)

Predictions made on 3/18/2022 at 2:45 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Lakers vs Raptors game info

• Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
• Date: Friday, March 18, 2022
• Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet

Lakers vs Raptors betting preview

Key injuries

Lakers: LeBron James SF (Questionable), Talen Horton-Tucker SF (Questionable), Anthony Davis PF (Out).
Raptors: OG Anunoby SF (Out), Malachi Flynn PG (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Under is 6-0 in the Raptors' last six games as a favorite. Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Raptors.

Lakers vs Raptors picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Spread analysis

The Raptors certainly have been a streaky team this season. After a slow start following the All-Star break Toronto has found its good form once again, winning five straight games (it’s not a coincidence that the Raps started to play better once Fred VanVleet returned from his knee injury) and they’ll try to defeat LeBron James and the Lakers for the second time this week.

The Raptors took that meeting 114-103 as 4.5-point road favorites in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Toronto took it to L.A. in that matchup, bullying them on the inside, using its length and athleticism to take advantage of a Lakers’ team that is lacking intensity and depth on defense without Anthony Davis on the floor.

Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes particularly looked like problems for the Lakers. Siakam put up 27 points with 11 rebounds and five assists while Barnes went for 21 points, nine boards, and five assists. 

The Raptors have been hard to contain during this five-game winning streak because they've been balanced. They rank 11th in offensive rating over that stretch while ranking seventh in defensive rating. 

Meanwhile, the Lakers have been a mess since the All-Star break. They have lost three in a row and nine of 11 while going 2-8-1 ATS. While LeBron has put on some impressive offensive showings over the stretch, he is clearly frustrated, and his effort on defense has been lacking (to put it nicely).

As a team, the Lakers rank 25th in defensive rating in the 11 games since the break and a putrid 28th in offensive rating over that span.

But is that enough to have confidence in the Raptors to cover a number this large? They have struggled when laying big chalk at home lately, going 0-5 ATS when laying 7.5-points or more at home. I expect another Raptors win here, but they could get a little comfortable with a big lead once again, welcoming a backdoor cover by the Lakers. We’ll lean towards taking the 9-point margin with LeBron, but the confidence here is low.

Prediction: Lakers +9 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

When it comes to the total, the early money has been on the Over and it’s a little difficult to see why at this point.

For starters, even though the Raptors are playing much better on offense lately, they just aren’t built to put up a ton of points. They are scoring 116 points per game over this five-game winning streak but have put up 103, and 114 in the last two games. And with a limited number of real knock-down shooters, if they go cold, the Raps can go long stretches without scoring.

On top of that, when the Raptors are not forcing turnovers, they love to slow down in the half-court and rank 26th in the NBA in pace.

On the other side, it basically comes down to this: If LeBron isn’t producing on offense, the Lakers have no offense. As noted, L.A. ranks 28th in offensive rating since the All-Star break, putting up just 110.5 points per game — and that drops to 106 over the last three games. 

They face a Raptors team that just held them to 103 points and ranks eighth in defensive rating since the All-Star break. Toronto just has a variety of bodies to throw at LeBron, and if no one else steps up, it could be another night of low output for the Lakers.

Prediction: Under 225 (-110)

Best bet

We mentioned it before, but Scottie Barnes was a handful for the Lakers on Monday. He used his size and athleticism to push their defenders around. It was a total mismatch from the word go. And it seems unlikely that they will have somehow found a way to slow him down just a few days later.

The Raptors’ rookie has been on a tear since the All-Star break, averaging 18.8 points while shooting 55.7% from the floor over that 12-game stretch. Barnes is also contributing 8.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals. He has gone Over 25.5 points + rebounds eight times in 12 games since coming out of the break, including against the Lakers.

Expect another big game from Barnes here going against a Lakers team that can provide him with little resistance.

Pick: Scottie Barnes Over 25.5 points + rebounds (-110)

Pages related to this topic