Clippers vs. Raptors Prediction and Odds for Tuesday, December 27 (Clippers Trustworthy as Road Dogs)
By Peter Dewey
The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off an improbable comeback on Monday night against the Detroit Pistons, erasing a 14-point deficit with three minutes to play to eventually win in overtime by 11 points.
Just how unlikely was the Clippers comeback against the Pistons?
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 27, 2022
Entering Monday, teams were 2-12,873 when trailing by 14+ with 3 minutes remaining in the play-by-play era (since 1996-97).
The Clippers were 0-417 in that scenario. pic.twitter.com/3xr52DW0BY
Not only did the Clippers come back from a historic deficit, but they also covered the spread as 5.5-point favorites in that game.
The Raptors, winners of two straight, have been a much better team at home than on the road this season, and they’ll look to defend home court in this matchup. Los Angeles has jumped to the No. 4 seed in the West, but the team could sit players on the second night of a back-to-back.
Kawhi Leonard, who sat out Monday’s win, could return in this game to face the team he won an NBA title with back in 2019.
The injury report for Los Angeles will be key here, so let’s dive into the odds and best bet for this game:
Clippers vs. Raptors Odds, Spread and Total
Clippers vs. Raptors Prediction and Pick
The Raptors are 7-5 against the spread as home favorites this year, but I’m going against that trend and taking the Clippers to cover as four-point dogs.
I’d expect Leonard to be back in the lineup after sitting out for injury management on Monday, and this is a value line if the Clippers send Paul George out there again on Tuesday as well.
There is some volatility in taking this game before we know official statuses, but this may be the best line you can get the Clips at.
The Raptors have not been great as of late, going 3-7 in their last 10 games and ranking 15th in net rating over that stretch. Los Angeles is sixth in the league in net rating over their last 10 games.
If the Clippers can slow down Pascal Siakam, they should be in a good spot to at least cover in this game. Los Angeles has only been a road dog six times this season, going 3-3 ATS in those matchups.
Tonight, the Clips get over .500.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.