Lakers vs. Clippers Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
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Charlie Grant
The battle of Los Angeles is heating up as the Lakers and Clippers play each other for the third time this season. Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers are undefeated against the Purple and Gold on the campaign, but LeBron James is playing superhuman basketball and bullying his way in the MVP race.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Lakers are coming off their best win of the season after downing Giannis Antetokounmpo and the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. The Lakers covered as 1.5-point home favourites and improved to 10-1 straight in their last 11 games and 8-2 against the spread in their last 10.
This is not a soft part of the schedule for the club either. In the last four weeks, the Lakers have picked up wins over the Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and now the Bucks. The team didn’t shoot well on Friday night but it engineered an 18-0 run in the third quarter – the most lop-sided scoring run the Bucks have been on the wrong end of this according to Elias Sports Bureau – to seal the victory.
The Lakers’ defence is in tune right now. The squad is allowing just 100.6 points per 100 possessions since the All-Star break – second only to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Under is 4-2 in the Lakers’ six contests.
The Clippers come into this game well rested having not played since Thursday night when they shot down the Houston Rockets 120-105 as 1-point road favourites. LA’s other team is playing its best basketball of the campaign. The Clips are 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS in their last six games and they are fully healthy.
They’re just 5.5 games back of the Lakers for first place in the Western Conference and they’re seeking a third straight win over their rivals.
Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James is trying his best to give Giannis Antetokounmpo some competition for MVP honours this season. The King is averaging 30.4 points (on 56.8 percent shooting from the field), 7.7 rebounds and 9.6 assists in seven games since the All-Star break.
The Lakers are first in the Western Conference and a weekend with wins over The Greek Freak and possibly one over Kawhi Leonard would do a lot to boost his MVP case.
L.A. Clippers
The Clips are healthy! They’ve played six straight games with the trio of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Patrick Beverly all in the lineup. The three players have played together in just 24 games this season. The Clips are outscoring opponents by 13.1 points per 100 possessions in the 469 minutes with those three all on the floor.