Clippers vs. Nets Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
With some of the best talent in the world on both teams, it will be a star-studded matchup when the L.A. Clippers head to Brooklyn to face the Nets on Tuesday.
The Nets opened as slim 1-point favourites on the NBA odds with a total of 245.5.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Although L.A. has been covering the spread more times than not, lately, they have struggled to cover against Brooklyn for a long time. The Clippers are 7-2 against the spread in their last nine games overall, but just 5-15 ATS in their last 20 games against the Nets. L.A. has hit the Over in 12 of their 21 games this season, six times each at home and on the road.
The Nets put up monster points on offence, but their lack of defence has been keeping the scores close in their games, which makes it harder to cover. Brooklyn is 9-13 ATS for the season and has only managed to cover in two of their last five games overall. There seems to be no trouble hitting the Over though, as the Nets have hit it nine times at home and seven times on the road, this season.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have won 10 of their last 11 games and have ridden their current three game win streak straight to the top of the Western Conference standings. L.A. is fresh off a taking down the Knicks 129-115 on Sunday, but even with a solid 14-point win, the game wasn’t as close as it seems. The Clippers made New York’s No. 1 ranked defence look like a G-League team. L.A. put on a clinic against the Knicks, with six different players scoring in double-digits.
Kawhi Leonard finished with a game-high 28 points against the Knicks. Leonard was playing his second game since being forced to sit out the first two games of the six-game road trip to due COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Through 17 games Leonard is averaging 25.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists. It’s not surprising to see him score, as he’s shooting 50.8 per cent from the floor. This could be a showdown between two superstars, Leonard and Durant, who each have a championship-or-bust mentality for the season.
Brooklyn Nets
This Nets team continues to look scarier the more they play. Brooklyn has scored at least 125 points in six of their last eight games, in large part due to Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. The Nets’ big three all rank among the NBA’s top 17 scorers and the team has gone 3-1 when all three are in the game. They are also the highest producing trio in the NBA, averaging a combined 82.8 points.
The main issue that Brooklyn needs to address is defence. If your team is dropping 146 points and still losing, like the Nets did against Washington on Sunday, something needs to change. With Harden out of the lineup against the Wizards, Durant and Irving were still able to combine for 63 points, but it wasn’t enough in the 149-146 loss. Harden is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday and it seems unlikely that Durant or Irving would be rested in a game against a powerhouse Clippers squad. There’s still a lot of season left to play, but this could be an NBA Finals preview.
LAC
BK