The Toronto Raptors picked up an impressive road victory on Sunday evening over the Lakers and, less than 24 hours later, Pascal Siakam and company will be back in action in the same building. The Raptors take on the Los Angeles Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back and the contest also marks the first time that Kawhi Leonard will square off with his former team as a member of the Clippers. Tip-off is at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Staples Center. Sportsbooks list the Clippers as 10.5-point home favorites, holding steady from the opener, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 222.5 in the latest Clippers vs. Raptors odds. Before you make any Raptors vs. Clippers picks, see the NBA predictions from SportsLine's advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and anyone who followed it last season saw massive returns. The model finished 300-252 on all its top-rated picks. On top-rated against-the-spread and money line NBA picks alone, the model returned a whopping $4,280.
Now it has locked in on Clippers vs. Raptors. We can tell you it's leaning under, and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 60 percent of simulations. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.
The model has considered that the Raptors are playing well, even in the absence of Leonard. Toronto has won six of its last seven games, including a win over the Lakers on Sunday, and the Raptors are buoyed by top-10 units on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the early returns are encouraging for Toronto in the post-Leonard era, with Siakam emerging as a legitimate star and strong contributions arriving from supporting pieces like Fred VanVleet. There is uncertainty with Kyle Lowry (thumb) and Serge Ibaka (ankle) set to miss Monday's game, however, and that could put the Raptors behind the eight-ball in an already difficult matchup. Still, Nick Nurse heads an incredibly sound defensive team, leaving optimism even when facing a high-powered offense.
Just because the Raptors have a few edges doesn't mean Toronto will cover the Clippers vs. Raptors spread on Monday.
The model is also aware that the Clippers are a juggernaut when Leonard plays. The reigning NBA Finals MVP has been operating at an obscenely high level in his new surroundings, flashing an evolving game as a distributor to go along with his established prowess as a scorer. Paul George (shoulder) remains out for the Clippers, but aside from that, Los Angeles appears to be at full strength, standing in stark contrast to the walking wounded from Toronto.
Los Angeles is surprisingly in the middle-of-the-pack in overall defensive rating (No. 14 in the NBA) and, while the eye test appears better than that, the Raptors have managed to score with efficiency this season. Los Angeles also can't afford to take Toronto lightly, even in a weakened state, and Leonard's performance against his old team will be of note throughout the contest.
So who wins Raptors vs. Clippers? And which side of the spread hits in well over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Raptors vs. Clippers spread you need to jump on Monday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks.
