Toronto vs Clippers: There will be no sensation

The Raptors finally lost their playoff chances the day before, and the Canadian club from Tampa is considered an unqualified underdog in their upcoming encounter with the Los Angeles Clippers. Will Toronto be able to slam the door one last time and beat a more motivated opponent?

The Raptors have become one of the major disappointments of this season, although they have consistently ranked at least in the top 10 of the Eastern Conference in terms of player selection. Right now, however, the team is only ranked 12th, and the main reason for the setbacks may be the move to Tampa. Toronto have only 2 wins in their last 9 games: the Lakers and Cavaliers were defeated. Siakam has been the club’s only leadoff man not to miss a game lately, averaging 24.3 points over a nine-game stretch. Now Siakam remains out of action, with Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, OG Anunobi, Chris Boucher, Paul Watson and Rodney Hood also not playing.

Nick Nurse’s men lost 99-109 to Memphis in their last regular-season game. The game was close in the 1st half, but after the break, the team faltered even though they made 8 of 16 three-pointers. Toronto shot frequently from midrange, with Gary Trent, in particular, being reckless and making only 5 of his 20 field goal attempts. Lowry and VanVleet were conspicuously absent, and Siakam failed to produce as well, scoring only 18 points.

The Clippers have only 2 wins in their last 6 games, but so far they hold 3rd place in the Western Conference. The stats for the leaders have slipped noticeably in this stretch, with no one on the team averaging more than 20 points. There are also questions about the bench. Luke Kennard continues to fall short of expectations and essentially the best reserve right now is DeMarcus Cousins. Serge Ibaka remains injured. The Spanish big man has missed 28 games in a row, although doctors were initially more optimistic. Amir Coffey will not play due to being placed on the coronavirus protocol.

In their last game, the Clippers failed to defeat New York 100-106 on their home court. The game was even, with each team leading by as many as 10 points. Tyronn Lue’s team had a good first half, but after the break, they gave up the initiative and took the lead only twice. On the night, Los Angeles shot poorly from midrange and their field-goal percentage dropped substantially. The Clippers shot slightly worse from beyond the arc, lost the ball more often and played less defence in the paint - all of which contributed to the final score. Kawhi Leonard was the most productive player on the team, scoring 29 points on 9-of-26 shooting.

• Toronto are coming off 5 wins in 10 home games;
• Los Angeles Clippers have won 6 of their last 10 away games;
• Toronto are 26th in the NBA in shots from the field, while the Clippers are sixth.

The main problem of the current Clippers is poor play at the end, but this should not affect the game against Toronto. The Raptors will be playing without almost their entire starting five, and they simply have no one to score points except for Gary Trent Jr. Rookie Malachi Flynn should not be expected to do too much, and the returning Aron Baynes is not the best assistant on offense. The Clippers have no such problems with the roster, and for Kawhi Leonard the meeting with his former team will be particularly crucial. Paul George also needs to step up, especially against such an opponent. We suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• Los Angeles Clippers handicap (-11.5) at odds of 1.9;
• Total Over 220,5 points for 1,92;
• Clippers Individual Total Over 116,5 points with odds of 1,93.