Lakers vs Raptors: AI Prediction - NBA Picks for Todays Game
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We are in full swing of the second week of the NBA season and teams are starting to just get warmed up. For teams like the Los Angeles Lakers who have veterans and Championship aspirations, each game, and each win, is as important as ever. On the other hand, the Toronto Raptors, who feature a roster of young, up-and-coming talent, are fighting to just make the playoffs and see what they have on their roster that will hopefully help secure a championship in the future. Learn how I use predictive and customizable models as well as AI to make my AI Sports Betting Prediction.
Preview of the Los Angeles Lakers vs the Toronto Raptors AI Prediction
The Los Angeles Lakers and new Head Coach, J.J. Reddick have kicked off the season about as good as they could have liked. Lebron James, in year 22, and Anthony Davis, have this Lakers team entering this matchup with a 3-2 record but have dropped the last two games which were the first two games of a five game roadtrip.
The Toronto Raptors, led by Scottie Barnes and R.J. Barrett, come into this game with a 1-4 record and are simply looking to build a solid foundation with their roster of young standouts.
Read how this AI-Powered NBA Prediction uses artificial intelligence and predictive models to guide my sports wagering decisions.
Lakers Preview
Lebron James, who is 39 years old, looks to be as in shape and as spry as ever. He enters this matchup averaging 21.2 points per game, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists all in just 33.6 min per game. The other superstar on the team, Anthony Davis, has been one of the best players in the league to start the season. He is averaging 30.6 points per game, 12.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. The 30.6 points per game is good for third in the league and the 12.2 rebounds per game is good for 6th in the league.
As a team, the Lakers are averaging 115.8 points per game on 47.8 percent shooting. They rank 11th in the league in total points and 6th in the league in field goal percentage. They are doing all of this with an offensive rating at 115.1 which is good for 8th in the NBA. Other than the superstars, the Lakers are getting key contributions from Austin Reeves, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell.
In their first five games of the season, the Lakers are 3-2 against the spread and 0-2 as the away team against the spread.
Raptors Preview
The Toronto Raptors have a lot of pieces that they are excited about coming into the 2024 season. While every team has aspirations to win the championship, the Raptors, realistically, are looking to find the cornerstones of their franchise.
Scottie Barnes, an All-Star in 2023, has started the season on a positive note. Over the first five games, he is averaging 19.3 points per game, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. R.J. Barrett leads the team with 25.5 points per game on 48.7 percent shooting and 50 percent three point shooting. Most importantly, their rookie from last year, Gradey Dick, has come out of the gates firing, averaging 18.8 points per game on 48.5 percent shooting.
The numbers don’t look too bad when looking at the team wide statistics. As a team, they average 116 points per game which is 10th in the league, they shoot 47.1 percent from the field which is the 9th best percentage in the NBA, and they are ranked 12th in offensive rating with a 113.2 rating.
The big miss with the Raptors so far this season is the defense where they rank dead last in defensive rating with a rating of 121.0.
In their first five games, the Raptors are 4-1 against the spread and 2-1 as the home team against the spread.
How I use Rithmm models for my Los Angeles Lakers vs Toronto Raptors AI Prediction
The Lakers come into this game on a bit of a slide, looking to get their first win on the road. The Raptors are a young team and will likely look to keep the pace high on their home court to try and get the Lakers veterans tired quickly.
The spread on this game is Lakers -9.5 and over under of 230.5.
It was surprising to see the Lakers as such large favorites given their recent losses on the road and how the Raptors have performed against the spread. I would lean towards taking the Raptors with the points in this one.
With my initial thoughts and research done, let’s turn to the Rithmm app and see if the models that have been created confirm my theories for my NBA AI prediction.
Let's take a look at the Rithmm AI custom betting models that I personally created with the Rithmm app.
The first model that I had customized, “Well-Rounded”, which looks at all categories equally but leaves fouls as the lowest of the five categories. I wanted the model to evenly account for three pointers, tempo, offense and defense. With this model, the Raptors are getting 7.7 points. This is a 1.8-point edge on the given spread and is a recommended bet by the Rithmm app.
The “Three and D” model that I had customized puts heavy emphasis on all the defensive categories and the three pointers. This one has the Raptors getting 8 points which is a 1.5-point edge on the given spread. This is also a recommended bet by the Rithmm app.
Lastly, the “Run and Gun” model that I customized features offense, tempo, and three pointers. This model gives another edge to the Raptors showing a model spread of +7.4. This is a 2.1-point edge towards the Raptors.
My Lakers vs Raptors AI Prediction
With my own research done and with all three of the models showcasing a significant edge on the given spread, I am inclined to stick with my first thought. I am looking towards the Raptors keeping this close with an athletic style of play and the Lakers showing a bit of weakness away from their home court. With all of that being said, I’m taking the RAPTORS +9.5 in the Lakers vs Raptors match up.
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