To cap off a busy sports Sunday, the final game of the NBA schedule tips off at 9:00 p.m. ET, when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Toronto Raptors at the crypto.com Arena. This will be the first regular-season meeting between the two teams this season, and each team comes in just over .500. The Raptors are 3-2 after losing to the Magic at home on Friday, while the Lakers are 4-2 after losing on Friday at home to the Warriors in NBA Cup Group Play. Let’s take a closer look at Sunday’s matchup and pick out a few Raptors Lakers props that make sense to back this Sunday night.
In the bigger picture, the Lakers are 2.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the over/under at 224.5. The Lakers are getting 81% of the bets on the moneyline and 73% of the picks against the spread as of Sunday afternoon.
According to the injury report, the Raptors will be without Kawhi Leonard, Malachi Smith and Nate Bittle, while the Lakers will have Walker Kessler available, while Ziaire Williams is questionable and Adou Thiero is out.
Raptors at Lakers Props on DraftKings Sportsbook
Scottie Barnes 37+ Points + Rebounds + Assists (-112)
Barnes is averaging 35.2 PRA (points, rebounds and assists) this season, but he’ll be set for a larger workload once again in this matchup without Leonard available. In his first game without Kawhi this year, he struggled to a scoreless game in Minnesota, going an uncharacteristic 0-for-12 from the field.
After that, though, he had two strong games against the Magic, posting 28 points and 38 PRA in a win on Wednesday and then going off for 41 points and 51 PRA in their loss on Friday. He has surpassed this PRA threshold in three of his last four games, and if this game is closely contested throughout, he’ll need to step up and produce another big game Sunday night.
In seven games against the Lakers in his career, Barnes averaged 24.0 points, 10.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists for an average of 40.4 PRA. He’ll look to continue his success in this specific matchup and continue his personal momentum while helping his team get back in the win column on Sunday night.
Matisse Thybulle 8+ Points (-107)
Thybulle has been starting for the Lakers all season, mostly for his defensive contributions, but he has also been chipping in decent scoring numbers with low usage. He has played 25.2 minutes per game and produced 9.5 points per contest.
He only had three points in the season opener, but he has scored at least 10 points in four of his five games since then. He had 10 points in 28 minutes against the Warriors on Friday, on 2-of-6 shooting from the field with a season-high five free throws.
Thybulle doesn’t usually take a lot of shots, but he has been able to get over this point threshold regularly despite his lower usage.
Ja’Kobe Walter 3+ Threes (+105)
Walter has been able to help cover some of the workload without Kawhi Leonard in the last three games. After playing 23 and 24 minutes off the bench in the first two games of the season, he moved into the starting five and played 31, 28 and 32 minutes in the three games without Kawhi.
In each of his three games without Leonard, he made at least three triples, with a high point of five three-pointers in last Sunday’s game against the Timberwolves.
In his expanded role, he is getting more usage, which gives him a good opportunity to cash this plus-money prop.
Bonus Parlay Play: Sandro Mamukelashvili 2+ Assists (-101)
If you are assembling a Same Game Parlay (SGP), be sure to capitalize on the available 50% NBA Profit Boost to use on a 3+ leg parlay on DraftKings Sportsbook. Adding in the over on Mamukelashvili’s assists boosts the SGP odds to +1200 for the four player prop bets in this post. Adding on the booster can take your winnings even higher!
Mamu will take on his former team after playing 23.3 minutes per game in his first six games with the Lakers. He has at least two assists in four of his six games this season, and last year, he averaged 1.9 assists per game in his 80 games with the Raptors. Mamukelashvili contributes across the board when at his best, and he will look to find success when facing his former squad for the first time.
