Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Prediction, NBA Odds
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Nik Kowalski
A 6-1 stretch has positioned L.A. in fourth in the West, a spot they will likely finish the season in unless the Suns have anything to say about it.
Phoenix trails the Clippers by four games in the Western Conference but can also leapfrog Dallas and potentially play L.A. in the first round of the postseason. And Phoenix is fighting off a trio of teams hot on their tail, all of whom would currently have to compete in the NBA’s play-in tournament. Bottom line, these next two nights are important for both clubs.
Tip-off at the Footprint Center is at 10 p.m. ET and it’s the Suns listed as 7.5-point favourites on the NBA odds with the total at 225.5.
Clippers vs. Suns NBA Betting Odds
L.A. has ruled star forward Kawhi Leonard out (knee inflammation) out Tuesday, which only boosts the number the Suns will have to cover on the point spread. Leonard’s absence the last four games hasn’t hurt the Clippers too much as they have rattled off three consecutive wins and covered twice.
The Clippers are 2-0 against Phoenix this season, reaching over 130 points in both victories. Head-to-head L.A. has covered in four of their last five meetings with the Suns. Tuesday’s a much different story though as L.A. enters as nearly a double-digit underdog. L.A. is 4-12 outright as an underdog this season but did win outright last week as a dog versus Denver.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers are coming off their third-largest comeback in franchise history. Paul George would not be stopped in the 120-118 victory against Cleveland as he scored 23 of his game-high 39 points in the final quarter. George added 11 rebounds and was three assists shy of what would have been his first triple-double of the season.
With Leonard injured, head coach Tyronn Lue has inserted veteran forward P.J. Tucker into the starting lineup. It’s a move based off defensive purposes as Tucker’s totalled three points in 45 minutes these past three games but L.A.’s kept two of those opponents right around the 100-point mark. Guard Norman Powell’s been the main secondary scorer to step up with Leonard out, knocking down four threes in back-to-back outings for L.A.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns may be down a key member of their own as centre Jusuf Nurkic has found himself on the team’s injury report and carries a questionable status because of a right ankle sprain. Nurkic played 31 minutes in Sunday’s loss to New Orleans but wasn’t too effective. If Nurkic can’t go, expect Bol Bol to get elevated in Phoenix’s staring lineup.
The Suns aren’t a deep team — a total of seven bench points in Sunday’s loss speaks to that as well as the fact they’re second-last in the NBA this season with 26.9 bench points per contest. Without the bench help, look for Devin Booker to heat back up. Booker started April with games of 52 and 40 points but has 38 combined over the Suns last two outings.
LAC
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