Suns vs Clippers Betting Odds: Game 4 Preview
Will Kawhi Return for LA?
Clippers Desperate for Response
The LA Clippers will look to level their series with the Phoenix Suns when they take the floor in LA for Game 4. Let’s take a look at the Suns vs Clippers Betting Odds and see how things are shaping up for their next matchup.
Kawhi Leonard was a shock scratching prior to Game 3 and the hope now for the Clippers is that it was simply precautionary and that they’ll have their superstar forward back on the floor for this one. With Leonard and Paul George both missing it’s tough to see a path for LA to be successful against such a talented Suns lineup.
Devin Booker was again immense for Phoenix in Game 3 and his role as a scorer behind Kevin Durant make this the most talent two-man punch in the league right now. Their depth issues are still a concern but they too will be hoping for a boost, with Cam Payne expected to be available for Game 4.
The Suns have opened as 5.0-point road favorites for this one, with the total currently sitting at 226.5 points.
Suns Hoping to Secure Extra Rest
If there’s one obvious concern around the Suns right now it’s the enormous minutes being asked of Booker, Durant and Chris Paul in each game of this series to date.
Despite Leonard being unavailable in Game 3 and the Clippers having to rely on long bench contributions, the Suns trio still all logged upwards of 42 minutes once again.
The pace of play right now is also a concern for Monty Williams and the coaching staff as the short turnaround between games is also adding an extra element of fatigue. Given Paul’s injury history there’s reason to be concerned about his minutes specifically, but the same can also be said of Durant who has been made to work hard at both ends of the floor in every game this series.
While the Suns remain the NBA season odds favorites to come out of the West the fact that they are going to have to run their stars into the ground is a huge concern if they are forced into playing extra games in this series.
Suns vs Clippers
Date & Time:
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Streaming: TNT
Clippers Continue to Push Pace
LA’s pace and space approach seems the most viable way for them to attack this series, especially if Leonard is forced to miss any more time.
The Phoenix Suns are the lowest 3-point frequency team in the NBA playoffs and in the modern NBA that’s not a recipe for success. Ty Lue ran a small ball line up that allowed them to play five-out on offense and it helped spark a run that saw them pull to within 3 points in the final minutes of Game 3.
The Clippers undoing in Game 3 was allowing Phoenix to take 41 free throws, aside from that, the execution in their offensive game plan was near flawless and seems to be the best way to attack this Suns team.
LA took just 12.9 seconds per possession in Game 3, which is the quickest pace of play of any team in any game so far in these playoffs. Their small ball lineup is still capable of rebounding well and given the strain being put on Booker, Durant and Paul to play large minutes, this pace is something that will begin to show up in these next couple of games with limited rest.
The NBA point spread for this game suggests that Kawhi is very much a 50-50 chance to feature in Game 4. We saw the line close at 8.0 points in Game 3 after he was confirmed out – while the market sat comfortably around 2.5/3.0 when he was assumed in.
While there’s an opportunity to get a great price on the Clippers early if Leonard plays, the best way to attack this is to continue playing the full game Overs. The Clippers look intent on trying to run Phoenix out the gym, and regardless of who’s made available for them it’s hard to see a scenario where this isn’t their focus once again in the Suns vs Clippers matchup.
That’s all for our Suns vs Clippers betting odds preview. Make sure you check out all our NBA playoff analysis before you make your next NBA bet.
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