NBA:Clippers(LA) vs. Raptors(Toronto) -by Bryan Leonard

Los Angeles Clippers at Toronto

Rule number one when handicapping sports is don’t lay points with a bad team. Rule number two is don’t lay double digits with a team that’s just happy with a victory. We have both those situations tonight in Canada as the struggling Raptors look to win big against the always struggling Clippers. Toronto is off two huge games in their attempt to hold on to the last playoff seed in the east. The Raptors gained a split against Miami and Charlotte but have still dropped 13 of their last 17 games. By the way, none of those four victories was by more than today’s spread as they were only able to win one game by more than six points and that was against the league worst Nets.

The Clippers are not a good basketball team but they are not 10 points worse that the Raptors. Toronto only has nine more victories than LA and they have done so playing in the weaker Eastern Conference. After winning at Houston Los Angeles has dropped two straight in blowout fashion against Golden State and Milwaukee. They will be without Baron Davis tonight but that may actually be a good thing. Davis plays out of control most of the time taking ill advised shots. The Clippers are more of a team with him on the sidelines.

Toronto has dropped three straight games at home and are on a 1-8 spread run north of the border. Off the huge win over Charlotte with winnable games against Golden State and Philadelphia on deck we can see the Raptors taking this team for granted.

PLAY LOS ANGELES