Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers Prediction, NBA Odds
The Lakers’ woeful start to the season continued with Monday’s lopsided 139-116 loss in Utah, and they have now fallen to defeat by double-digit margins in five of their eight losses to date. The Clippers are coming off a narrow 119-117 win over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers that marks their fourth win in five outings. The Clippers have also dominated their local rivals, topping the Lakers in eight straight meetings since the summer of 2020.
The Clippers have faded to 3-point favourites on the NBA odds since opening as 4.5-point chalk, but maintain the support of 65 per cent of sports bettors. The total has dipped to 219.5 since opening at 220, with the UNDER attracting 75 per cent of the betting action.
Lakers vs. Clippers NBA Betting Odds
Wednesday night’s matchup at Crypto.com Arena marks the second of four scheduled meetings between these teams this season. The Clippers extended their recent dominance in the Battle of LA with a 103-97 victory as 5-point favourites back on October, and have now covered the spread nine times during their impressive 10-0 run in head-to-head action.
The teams have failed to produce consistent results in totals betting in recent clashes, with the UNDER improving to 3-3-1 in their past seven dates on the strength of the Clippers’ recent win. Indeed, recent meetings between these teams have been hard fought, with four of the past five getting settled by six or fewer points. However, the Clippers have claimed victory over the Lakers by an average margin of 16 points in their past four dates as the home team.
Los Angeles Lakers
Things have gone from bad to worse for the Lakers during the three-game slide that has dumped them to 28th overall in the NBA standings with a brutal 2-8 record. Los Angeles has fallen to defeat by an average margin of 17 points during its current 0-3 run, and now rank 24th in league with 116.3 points allowed per game.
Continued injury woes have not helped matters. With LeBron James one of three players on the shelf, the Lakers had only 11 players available for Monday’s loss in Utah, which also marked the team’s third game in four nights. However, James is listed as probable to return on Wednesday. Anthony Davis also continues to play through a nagging back injury, but still managed to rack up 29 points on Monday, which marks his most productive outing of the season. On another positive, Russell Westbrook has been productive off the bench, averaging 22.5 points per game over his past three outings.
Los Angeles Clippers
While the Lakers flounder, the Clippers have managed to find their legs while winning four of five. The LA defence has stood tall during the team’s 4-1 run, surrendering just 105.4 points per game after giving up 112.5 points per game during a preceding four-game slide.
The Clippers have also benefited enormously from distributed scoring during their current tear. Six players reached double digits in scoring in Monday’s victory over Cleveland, and have seen five or more players score 10 or more in each of their past three outings. Paul George continued to lead the way in Monday’s win, and has now averaged 31 points per game over his past five contests.
LAL
LAC