Lakers vs. Raptors, 7:30 ET

PublishedDecember 4, 2025 3:31 PM EST•UpdatedDecember 4, 2025 3:31 PM EST

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Lakers vs. Raptors, 7:30 ET

I’ve had a bit of a tough stretch in the NBA lately, at least on the Outkick shared plays. The other ones have been good, and ones on Twitter have been fine overall, but the last couple of articles I have shared have been losers. Two of them on the Knicks and one on the Cavs against one of these same teams. I’m back at it again, hopeful that I can steal a win in this one as the Lakers take on the Raptors. 

The Lakers are one of the best teams in basketball and they are doing a great job of winning on the road. Now, I want to clear one thing up: they are playing one of the most convenient schedules of all the teams in the league. They have had three back-to-backs this season, but they are also getting plenty of rest before a lot of games. I’m sure the comparison is out there, but they’ve also already had four stretches of 2+ days rest between games. Most of time, teams are getting just one day off and then a game. This has been the case essentially since LeBron James came to the Lakers. This won’t be an easy game for Los Angeles, though. They are going to play this one without their superstud, Luka Doncic. They still will have Austin Reaves, and they will have LeBron James. Their starting five is as good as any in the league when healthy, but the team is not very deep when fully healthy. Now that they are dealing with a couple of injuries, they are even thinner.

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers

The Raptors are a pleasant surprise this season. I’ve always been a Brandon Ingram fan. When he was in New Orleans, I felt like the team at least had a shot at winning any game, because he can get red hot. This year, he leads the Raptors in scoring and has given them a bit of that offensive firepower they were missing. The team is also missing two of their starting players, which is a bit unfortunate for them. They don’t have RJ Barrett, but the team has performed well without him, going 3-2 over the last five. Both of their losses were on the road. They are also going to be without their big man, Jakob Poetl. They don’t really have the depth either, so we will see how they respond to missing 40% of their starting lineup. The Raptors have been very good at home so far, but they also are playing with one fewer day rest than the Lakers. 

This is a game that I think the Lakers might win, but I like the Raptors to win the first half. The main reason is this is their second straight home game, and they should (in theory) be more used to the game speed and sight lines. Sure, there is a possibility the Lakers come out of the gate, rested and ready to go. This could also be a game that LeBron says “I still got it, we don’t need Luka.” There has been enough talk about him as a third option for me to see him going bonkers in this one to prove that he is still elite. I like the first half though because the Lakers are coming off of an extended home stand and it does take a while to get used to playing in a different arena. They have another game tomorrow against Boston that they are probably more focused on – at least I’m sure the NBA hopes it is that way. I’m going to take Toronto in the first half here.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024