And we thought those Raptors were bad. They were 6.5-point road dogs in that matchup; on Wednesday, Toronto gets 8.5 points at home. Bryant might not score 81 points this time – he could go even higher with the Raps ranked No. 22 in the league in defensive efficiency and the Lakers No. 1 on offense.

As for the loss of center Andrew Bynum (knee) for the next 12 weeks, the Lakers have a better plus-minus when Pau Gasol is at the 5-spot and Lamar Odom is at power forward. Yikes.

The Cleveland Cavaliers (37-9 SU, 31-15 ATS) haven’t had very many bad games this season. Although Delonte West has a broken right wrist, the Cavs are deep enough and talented enough to beat anyone. They’re third in the NBA in both offensive and defensive efficiency – a potent combination for beating the spread. LeBron James (14.8 WARP) is the runaway MVP favorite; Bosh (8.4 WARP) is playing well overall, but the divide between the two best players in this matchup is huge. Get all your NBA betting lines in the Bodog Sportsbook.

The 12-point favored Cavs have developed a stronger supporting cast around James, meaning he has had to carry the team less often. All eight victories in the current win streak have been by at least 12 points, tying an NBA record.

Chris Bosh has been limited to 18.3 ppg on 40.7 percent shooting in the Raptors' current four-game losing streak that has dropped them to last in the Atlantic Division.

The Cavaliers are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 home games.

The Raptors look to open with four straight victories for the first time in franchise history after winning 91-87 at Milwaukee on Saturday. Chris Bosh, who is putting up double-double numbers so far, averaged 22.5 points and 10.7 rebounds in four games versus Detroit last season.

Can the Raps slow down a Pistons team that is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings between the clubs? Place your NBA bets in the Bodog Sportsbook today!

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) and Toronto Raptors guard Anthony Parker (18) fight for a rebound. (AP Images)

With both teams missing star players, the Orlando Magic prevailed against the Toronto Raptors in Orlando, Fla., 102-87.

It was Toronto's second straight game without all-star Chris Bosh, who missed his second consecutive game because of a sore right knee

"It's a big adjustment for us all, playing without Chris, because the guys have different roles," Toronto coach Sam Mitchell told ESPN after the game.

Toronto's T.J. Ford made a valiant effort to save his team, igniting a comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of his 20 points in the period.

"Obviously they were missing a great player, and it looked like we were going to be missing one, too," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy told ESPN. "He was sitting down so much with foul trouble."

Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trailblazers

The Pheonix Suns are still trying to find rhythm with Shaquille O’Neal in the mix — and tonight, they found it, prevailing against the Portland Trail Blazers 97-92.

The Trailblazers are 9 games behind the Suns in the standings, but with a healthy Brandon Roy back in the game — they were only seen as slight underdogs. O'Neal made 13 rebounds for the Suns, while Amare Stoudemire scored 20 points. Get your NBA odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Kobe Bryant lit up the Raptors for 46. (AI Wire photo)

Pau Gasol wasn’t in the building and Kobe Bryant didn’t need him.

The NBA’s two-time defending scoring champion poured in 46 points as the Los Angeles Lakers clobbered the Raptors 121-101 in Toronto on Friday night.

Prior to the game, L.A. nabbed Gasol, the hot-shooting Spaniard, in a deal with Memphis. But even though they were shorthanded, the Lakers could count on Bryant to pick up any slack.

L.A. was an underdog as the point spread favored the Raptors by 6.5. Bryant wasted little time in showing the oddsmakers how wrong they were on this one. He jammed several times and shot 19-for-28 from the floor.

The Lakers entered as loser of four of their past five while Toronto had won six straight, explaining the point spread.

In other NBA action on Friday:

Utah 96, Washington 87: A sixth consecutive double-double by Deron Williams complemented Mehmet Okur’s stellar game as the Jazz covered the five-point spread in the nation’s capital. Okur finished with 27 points and 11 boards while Williams had 11 points and 12 assists. Utah won for the 11th time in 12 games.

Orlando 108, Philadelphia 106: Among Hedo Turkoglu’s 23 points were two field goals with 2.4 seconds to play that won the game for the Magic. The 76ers, however, did cover the point spread at home. Orlando was favored by five.

Houston 106, Indiana 103: Five Rockets finished in double figures, led by rookie Carl Landry’s career-best 22 points. Underdog Indiana covered the 4.5-point spread in Indianapolis.

NBA odds