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Can the Lakers get back to their winning ways

Bookmark and Share by Aaron Torres

The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers have hit a rough patch, going 0-3 on a recent East Coast road trip. They’ll try to change their fortunes in Tuesday night’s betting odds, when they host the Toronto Raptors.

Toronto Raptors (32-29 SU, 28-33 ATS) at Los Angeles Lakers (46-18 SU, 27-35-2 ATS)

Tuesday, March 09: 10:30 p.m. NBA TV


Here are some NBA Betting Trends which may impact this game:

  • Toronto: 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games
  • Toronto: 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
  • Los Angeles: 0-3 SU in their last 4 games
  • Los Angeles: Total has gone UNDER in 2 of their last 3 games

The Raptors enter this game themselves on a bit of a skid, losers of four of their last five. They did get great news over the weekend however, as All-Star and superstar Chris Bosh returned to their lineup. Bosh had missed several games with an injury, but returned on Sunday, scoring 12 points and adding 12 rebounds in a victory over Philadelphia. On the season, Bosh is averaging 24 points as 11 rebounds a game.

However, just as Bosh was getting healthy, the Raptors hit the injury skids again, as forward Hedo Turkoglu sat out Sunday’s game with a sore ankle. Turkoglu is expected to return Tuesday, but could be limited in his role.

As for Los Angeles, they hope not have to go back East any time soon, as they lost games Thursday, Friday and Sunday to Southeast Division foes. Sunday’s game was especially tough, as the Lakers lost by just two points to last year’s Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic.

The Lakers will be glad to be home, and will need big games from their low post. The truth is, we know that Los Angeles guard Kobe Bryant is a superstar, Tuesday is about establishing the big players. Pau Gasol was excellent against Orlando, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds, but center Andrew Bynum had just five points and was limited defensively by Magic center Dwight Howard. He’ll need a better effort Tuesday.

On defense, the question will be whether those big players can limit Bosh, one of the NBA’s elite big men. The Lakers are one of the NBA’s best defensive teams, allowing opponents to score just 96 points a game and limiting them to 44 percent shooting, both of which rank in the top 10 in the league.

And it is because of that defense that the Lakers should come out on top Tuesday night. With Turkoglu limited, it will put a lot of pressure on Toronto’s other guards, as well as Bosh down low. Toronto isn’t a particularly high scoring team, and could struggle to keep up in Los Angeles.

It seems like all the Lakers will need Tuesday night is a little bit of home cooking. Take them in Tuesday’s exciting NBA betting odds.