Toronto Raptors vs. LA Lakers Picks and Prediction for Sunday, January 18, 2026
It's East vs. West in this Raptors vs. Lakers prediction on Sunday night at 9:30pmET from the Crypto.com Arena. Toronto (25-18) fell at home to the Clippers on Friday, 121-117 in overtime, while the Lakers (24-15) played Portland on Saturday night, which took place before this write-up was completed. Los Angeles has dominated this series, winning on Dec. 4, 123-120, as a 2.5-point road dog. They've won six straight in the series and covered four of them. The Lakers are favored by 1.5 points and the total is 226.5. Check out more free NBA Picks, college basketball and NFL Playoff predictions at Winners and Whiners.
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Toronto looking to move up in the East
The Raptors are currently in fourth place in the East, a game behind the Knicks for third place. The key with Toronto, as it is for most playoff contenders, is to stay healthy. Currently, they have four key players on the injury list with RJ Barrett (ankle), Ja'Kobe Walter (hip), Immanuel Quickley (back) and C Jakob Poeltl (hip). All four missed Friday's loss to the Clippers in overtime, which was led by Scottie Barnes (24 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast), Brandon Ingram (19 pts) and Jamal Shead (15 pts, 13 ast).
They really miss all four, but especially Barrett and Quickley in the backcourt. Quickley is averaging 16.5 points and 6.1 assists, while Barrett adds 19.6 points and 5.0 rebounds. Ingram leads Toronto with 21.8 points and adds 6.0 rebounds per game, while Barnes contributes 19.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists, while shooting 50.1% from the field.
According to DunksandThrees.com, the Raptors rank 16th in Adjusted Net Rating, 21st in Adjusted Offensive Rating and 7th in Adjusted Defense.
Time for a Trade?
The Lakers have lost four of their last five coming into Saturday night's late game against Portland. They do miss Austin Reaves (26.6 ppg, 6.3 apg) badly, but other teams have injuries. They allowed 135 points to Charlotte at home on Thursday in an embarrassing 18-point loss as a 3.5-point favorite. Luka Doncic scored 39 points on 15-of-26 shooting and LeBron James added 29 points and nine rebounds on 10-of-19 shooting, but that wasn't enough as the Hornets shot a sizzling 54% from the field and 47% (20-43) from beyond the arc.
Defense has been an issue all season as the Lakers rank 28th in the league in field goal percentage defense (48.8%) and 25th in three-point defense (37.3%). Doncic (33.6 ppg, 8.7 apg, 7.7 rpg) is thinner and more productive, while James (22.7 ppg, 6.9 apg, 5.8 rpg) is having a solid season considering he's missed nearly half the season due to a back injury. But Doncic is never going to make an All-Defensive squad and James' back issues and age have limited him on that end. Reaves is out at least another week with a gastrocnemius strain.
Doncic missed Saturday's game with knee soreness and C Deandre Ayton (knee) was questionable. On DunksandThrees.com, the Lakers are ranked 18th in Adjusted Net Rating, 7th in Adjusted Offense and 26th in Adjusted Defense. 
Spread Pick and Odds for Raptors vs. Lakers
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ben Burns | +1,203.00 |
| 2 |  Joseph D'Amico | +791.00 |
| 3 |  Bryan Power | +507.00 |
| 4 |  MIT Simulator | +449.00 |
| 5 |  Joe Duffy | +374.00 |
Raptors vs. Lakers Picks and Prediction
- Toronto +1.5 (5 units)
I expect Toronto to get Quickley back for this one and possibly one other player. The Lakers most likely get Doncic back, who was "resting" in the first game of a back-to-back. But the bottom line is that Toronto has been the better team and the Lakers are coming off a game with no rest. They are already one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA and the Raptors are 7th in field goal percentage defense (46.2%). They are even better on the road on defense, ranking fourth in field goal defense and fourth in three-point defense.
Over/Under Pick for Toronto Raptors vs. LA Lakers
- Over 226.5 (5 units)
The Lakers' offense is first in field goal percentage (51.5%) and sixth in points per game (120.6) at home, while they rank last in field goal defense (49.9%) and 26th in points allowed per game at 119.3. They've gone over in three straight games. These teams have gone over in seven of the last eight meetings. Toronto has gone over in three of the last five games.
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