Toronto Raptors vs Los Angeles Lakers Predictions, Odds, Picks

• The Raptors are coming off of an impressive win in their last game.
• The Lakers, currently 9th in the West, are fighting to get out of play-in position.
• The Raptors and the Lakers split their series 1-1 last season.

Toronto Raptors vs Los Angeles Lakers Odds

The Los Angeles Lakers enter this game on the second leg of a back-to-back. While the Lakers have some quality, the Toronto Raptors are a hard-nosed defensive team whose ability to control the pace should tame the Lakers.

Pick:

Toronto Raptors def. Los Angeles Lakers

Head-to-Head: Toronto Raptors vs Los Angeles Lakers

Injury Report

How can the Raptors beat the Lakers?

The Toronto Raptors are coming off of an excellent game where they beat one of the Western Conference’s strongest. If the Raptors hope to continue their win streak, they need to maintain their bench production.

The Toronto Raptors are last in the NBA in bench points, scoring an average of just 24.6 points per game from their reserves. However in their most recent win, Toronto’s bench posted 43 points on 17 of 33 shooting.

As they face a Lakers team on the second leg of a back-to-back, the Raptors must push the pace. But with some key injuries of their own, Toronto must find production from their bench to find victory.

Raptors Key Player: (F) Scottie Barnes

scottie barnes’ energy is without limits, and this raptors team is fun as hell pic.twitter.com/CDlr611PXW

— Dan Favale (@danfavale) March 13, 2022

Through the Toronto Raptors’ surprising success this season, rookie forward Scottie Barnes has been incredibly impactful for the Toronto Raptors. In his most recent game, Barnes was massive in earning the Raptors victory.

Barnes is coming off of a game where he posted 25 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. He shot 11 of 20 from the field and even hit 2 three-pointers! Barnes production and efficiency sealed the win for Toronto, on top of keeping Nikola Jokic scoreless in the fourth quarter of his last game.

The Raptors will hope Barnes can be just as impactful in their game against the Lakers. Much more of an inside threat than a shooter, Barnes will need to show he can overcome Los Angeles’ interior presence to lead Toronto to victory.

How can the Lakers beat the Raptors?

The Los Angeles Lakers need to be careful when they take on the Raptors. While Toronto doesn’t boast incredible offensive talent, they are able to find excellent opportunities due to their versatility.

In Toronto’s last game they were brilliant in the paint, despite being one of the league’s smaller teams. They shot 47.1% from the field on 102 field goal attempts, while outrebounding the Nuggets 50 to 39.

The Lakers are one of the league’s poorest defensive teams, ranking 21st overall in two-point field goal percentage allowed. If they want to beat the Raptors, they’ll need to tighten up their interior defence.

Lakers Key Player: (G) Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook dunk. ?

pic.twitter.com/ZdocTk76dX

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 4, 2022

The Los Angeles Lakers will need some strong production from Westbrook if they hope to take down the Toronto Raptors. He was quiet in his last game, but that can’t stand in this key matchup.

In his last game, a loss to the Phoenix Suns, Westbrook posted 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 29 minutes of play. His scoring efficiency was fine, but he did commit 4 turnovers to lead the team.

With the uncertainty around James’ participation, Westbrook needs to take on a leading role against the Raptors. He has the ability to keep pace with the Raptors, so he’ll need to keep his teammates involved to stay competitive.

How to Watch Toronto Raptors vs Los Angeles Lakers