Two teams, one home, one hot NBA rivalry. The Los Angeles Clippers meet the Los Angeles Lakers at 7 pm Friday at the Crypto.com Arena in the first game for both teams after the All-Star break. The game is on ESPN.
Technically, this counts as the Lakers‘ home game, even though both teams share the arena. It has been the Clippers who have dominated the series lately, winning the last five meetings. The two teams meet again next week to close out the season series.
The Clippers come into the second half of the season 30-31, and in eighth place in the Western Conference. They are without stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, possibly for the rest of the season, but Reggie Jackson has picked up the slack with 16.6 points a game. The Clippers have won three of their last four.
In the other locker room, the Lakers, 27-31 and ninth in the conference, are again dealing with injuries. Star Anthony Davis is out for at least a month with a bad foot sprain. LeBron James has had to shoulder an even bigger load. He’s third in the NBA in scoring at 29.1 a game.
California sports betting could be a reality if any initiatives make it to the voting ballot in November of this year. If not this year, CA will have to wait until 2024 to see any potential movement on legalized sports betting.
What do the oddsmakers say?
The Lakers are 1.5–point favorites as of Thursday morning on both FanDuel and DraftKings. Both have identical over/under lines at 223.5.
The Clippers are exactly 30-31 against the spread this season, while the Lakers are 26-32. The Lakers lead the all-time series 150-79.
James is also listed at +15000 to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award by DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Big 10
The Lakers have only been favored three times in their last 10 games and they covered the spread twice in those three.
Six of the Lakers’ last 10 games have been decided by five points or less. In their last 10 games, the Lakers have covered the spread six times. They’ve also hit the over six times.
The Clippers don’t get much respect from the sportsbooks. They have been the underdog in eight of their last 10 games. They had one of the biggest wins against the spread last month, when they beat Charlotte by 25 points as six-point underdogs.
The Clippers have covered the spread in their last four games, and they have hit the over seven times of the last 10.
Fast Five: Last five meetings between the Lakers and Clippers
- Clippers 111, Lakers 110: Three weeks ago, Jackson scored on a drive with four seconds left to lift the Clippers and then Davis missed a floater at the buzzer. James did not play.
- Clippers 119, Lakers 115: The Clippers never trailed and overcame 23 points and 11 rebounds from James. George had 19 for the Clippers and Luke Kennard hit two clutch threes in the fourth quarter.
- Clippers 118, Lakers 94: James was out with an injury, and Davis only played nine minutes after rolling his ankle. The Clippers led by 23 at the half and George put in 24 points.
- Clippers 104, Lakers 86: The Clippers feasted on a squad playing without both James and Davis. Leonard just missed a triple-double, and the Clippers led by double-digits for most of the game.
- Clippers 116, Lakers 109: The Clippers spoiled the Lakers’ season opener the year after they won their most recent championship. George poured in 33 points, and Leonard had 26.
The Play: Advice on what to bet
The Clippers have been outmanned all season but have still played hard for coach Tyronn Lue. If they can get healthy before the playoffs, look out.
There’s so much drama going on in the Lakers’ locker room right now. Russell Westbrook has struggled. Davis is out again and James basically has to do everything. The amazing thing is, he’s capable of doing that.
James should be refreshed after a few days off for the All–Star break and motivated to end the Clippers win streak against his team. Still, I think I lean toward the Clippers to win the game outright and go over.