The reeling Lakers will try to rebound from an abysmal loss as they take on the Raptors in Toronto
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most frustrating teams in the NBA right now as they go through a brutal road trip at the start of December. That road trip wears on Monday evening as the Lakers travel north to the Air Canada Centre for a matchup with the Toronto Raptors.
These two teams matched up on Nov. 20 this season at STAPLES Center and the Raptors, Kyle Lowry in particular, shot the Lakers out of the arena as he went 7-11 from three. Lowry and DeMar DeRozan continually burned D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and the rest of the Lakers backcourt.
What’s different from that first matchup, though, is that the Raptors are without their starting center in Jonas Valanciunas due to a hand injury. Though that has only ignited a brighter fire under Lowry and DeMarre Caroll, the thought of Julius Randle attacking a frontcourt rotation of Bismack Biyombo, Patrick Patterson, and Luis Scola is intriguing.
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For the Lakers, the key is going to be exploiting that matchup with Randle on the interior. Yes, that entails Kobe Bryant, Russell, and Clarkson keeping the ball moving on the perimeter and feeding the young forward on the interior. However, if they choose to do that and not play in isolation for 48 minutes (like they did on Sunday against Detroit), then they’ll unquestionably be in a position to succeed in Toronto.
All of that said, the defensive matchup with Lowry and DeRozan is still troubling for Los Angeles. It’s a bad matchup regardless, but with the tired legs and lack of effort that the Lakers showed on Sunday night, it could be even worse. How they perform in getting out on the perimeter to contest shots and stop penetration will ultimately determine the outcome.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Toronto Raptors
Date: Monday, Dec. 7
Start Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Toronto, ON
Arena: Air Canada Centre
TV Info: TWC Sportsnet
Live Stream: NBA League Pass
Radio: Here
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Raptors -13
Moneyline: Raptors -1200, Lakers +825
O/U: 199.5
Injury Report
Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant (illness)—Day-to-Day
Toronto Raptors: Jonas Valanciunas (hand)—Out
Prediction
The Raptors won the first matchup of this home-away series and are clearly the better team. Moreover, the Lakers have looked gassed as of late. However, the last time the Lakers suffered a truly brutal loss, they came out and beat the Wizards this past week. Why not be optimistic and call for another surprise?
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