Lakers vs Clippers Matchup Odds: Battle for Los Angeles
Clippers Won All Four Meetings with Lakers Last Season
It’s been a rough start to the NBA season for Los Angeles basketball fans. Both the Lakes and Clippers have struggled to start the season and have dealt with their fair share of NBA injuries. On paper, the Lakers are the away team in Wednesday’s game and come into the contest having lost their last three games, dropping two to the Jazz and one to the Cavaliers.
Things are a bit better for the Clippers with Ty Lue’s team having won four of their last five but are 4-7 against the spread on the season. Historically, this NBA matchup has been in favor of the Clippers with them winning all four meetings last year and having already beaten the Lakers once this season. Because of that, it’s no surprise that the Lakers vs Clippers matchup odds list the Clippers as 3.5-point favorites and -165 on the Moneyline.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are +145 on the Moneyline and the total sits at 219.5.
Date, Time & Streaming:
Location: Crypto.com Arena
Can Lakers Beat Clippers in Their Own House?
The Lakers vs Clipper matchup odds opened at Clippers -5.5 but have since dropped two points in favor of the Lakers. The total has also been on the move, opening at 222 and falling to 219.5, which is where our play is today. The Clippers have been one of the bottom five offenses in the NBA this season.
Part of that is because of the NBA injuries tonight that includes Kawhi Leonard who continues to be on the report. His presence is a huge factor in the team’s offensive success and so it’s not a huge surprise that those numbers are down this year without him.
The Clippers also haven’t been making many threes this season.
They rank 25th in 3-point percentage at 33.3% while ranking 19th in 3-point attempts at just 32 per game. Without knocking down deep shots, defenses aren’t forced to guard them on the perimeter as heavily as they have in years past.
We can’t say that the Lakers are a whole lot better offensively. They’re the worst three-point shooting team in the league, shooting a miserable 29% from deep. If a team is this bad from three, you’d think they’d pivot and try to find another way to put points on the board, yet LeBron James and company continue to fire away from beyond the arc.
The Lakers are also ranked 25th in the league in points per game with 108.4 and the Clippers are dead last with 103.8 points per game. Needless to say, these two teams struggle to score.
Can Clippers Beat Lakers in Their Own House?
Wednesday night’s game is going to be slow-paced on the offensive end and a grind-it-out game defensively because that’s the only way either of these teams can win ball games these days. This also has the makings of a close game, which should slow things down in the fourth quarter. Clippers games this season have also leaned heavily to the under, with the under hitting in nine of their first 11 games.
Lakers Gripping in Hollywood, Need a Win
Our prediction on the spread in this game would lean towards the Lakers vs Clipper matchup odds in favor of Paul George and company because the Clippers are 8-0 straight up in their last eight games against the Lakers and are 7-1 against the spread. Check out the NBA Odds.
However, this is a Lakers team that is desperate for a win, which is why our recommendation for this game is just to play the total under 219.5.
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