Tip-off: Monday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Los Angeles -8.0, Total: 210.5

The Clippers will be going for their third straight win when they host the Raptors on Monday.

Toronto has struggled a bit recently, as the team has now lost three of its past four games. The Raptors went into Sacramento on Sunday night and lost 102-99 as three-point road favorites. That was a bad loss for the team, and they’ll now be extra hungry to win in Los Angeles in this one. The Clippers are a tough team to beat at home, though. Los Angeles is 6-2 when playing at the Staples Center this season, and the Clippers are in a groove right now as well. They have now shot 45% or better from the floor in six straight games, and are the league’s second-best team in offensive efficiency (113.1 points per 100 possessions). It’s worth noting that Toronto has gotten the best of Los Angeles over the years, though. The Raptors are 4-0 both SU and ATS when facing the Clippers over the past three seasons, and that includes two win-and-covers at the Staples Center. Toronto also happens to be facing a Los Angeles team that is just 10-22 ATS after scoring 100 points or more in three straight games over the past two seasons. PF Jared Sullinger (Foot) and PG Delon Wright (Shoulder) remain out indefinitely for the Raptors, and SF Wesley Johnson (Heel) is questionable for the Clippers on Monday.

The Raptors are coming off of a bad beat in Sacramento, as SF Terrence Ross (10.2 PPG, 1.3 SPG) hit a three that would have sent the game to overtime just a bit late. The officials had originally counted the basket, but they overturned it upon review. Toronto can probably chalk the loss up to a poor outing from SG DeMar DeRozan (31.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.5 SPG). DeRozan has been on fire this season, but he had just 12 points on 3-for-15 shooting from the floor against Sacramento. Expect a better performance on Monday, as it is nearly impossible to keep DeRozan from scoring at least 25 points right now. He is clicking in all aspects of the game, and Los Angeles does not have anybody that is capable of truly giving him trouble. PG Kyle Lowry (19.3 PPG, 7.2 APG, 5.5 RPG, 1.8 SPG) will, however, need to be on his game in this one. If Lowry doesn’t hold his own against Chris Paul then the Raptors are going to get blown out in this game. He should be able to turn in a good game, though. Lowry has been excellent over the past five games, averaging 22.2 PPG and 7.8 APG in that span. He’s also 12-for-28 from the outside over the past four games, which is a great sign after a struggle from deep to start the year.

The Clippers are playing some incredible basketball right now, and the team is happy to have PF Blake Griffin (21.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG) back and playing at a high level this season. After embarrassingly breaking his hand a year ago, Griffin has showed up in tremendous shape to start the year. He’s coming off of one of his better performances of the year against the Bulls on Saturday, as he had 26 points, 13 rebounds and five assists on 8-for-15 shooting from the floor and 10-for-10 shooting from the line. He has now gotten to the charity stripe 38 times over the past three games, and the Clippers are going to be a real force if he can continue to dominate the paint. PG Chris Paul (17.9 PPG, 8.6 APG, 5.4 RPG, 3.0 SPG) hasn’t been bad either. Paul is playing like a legitimate MVP candidate, and he should be able to have his way with the Raptors in this one. Kyle Lowry is a good defender, but Paul is a master at manipulating his opponents and he’ll find ways to be effective on Monday. The Clippers will, however, need a big game from C DeAndre Jordan (10.4 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 1.6 BPG) on Monday. He is one of the best rim protectors in basketball, and that is an important skill to have against an aggressive Toronto team.