Homecourt advantage might not count for anything anymore since the rest of the season will be played in Orlando, but the Los Angeles Lakers want to grab the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference Playoffs. That would theoretically give the Lakers the most favorable draw in their bid to return to the NBA Finals. However, the Los Angeles Clippers are one of the teams standing in their way. The Clippers have the best chance to catch the Lakers as they are 5.5 games behind them, so a Lakers’ victory would virtually ensure them the top seed in the West. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on July 30, 2020, and the game will be broadcast on TNT.
NBA Opening Lines at BookMaker.eu
Los Angeles Lakers -4.5
Los Angeles Clippers +4.5
Over/Under 215.5
Head-To-Head Results to Date
The Clip show topped the Lakers in their season opener 112-102, and they defeated their city rivals once again on Christmas Day thanks to a big performance from Leonard. The Lakers knocked off the Clips in their last meeting though, beating their longtime little brother 112-103 on March 8.
Injury Report
Lou Williams will miss the Clippers’ first two games as a result of leaving the bubble to go to Atlanta for a funeral. His loss will sting as last season’s Sixth Man of the Year is the third leading scorer on the team (18.7 PPG) behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Landry Shamet and Montrezl Harrell are both considered questionable to play as Shamet has been dealing with an illness and Harrell left the bubble on Friday due to a family emergency.
The Lakers won’t have Avery Bradley available for the rest of the season after the veteran point guard decided to opt out of the restart. Additionally, Rajon Rondo and Anthony Davis are considered questionable to play on Thursday, but both players are likely to take the court as their issues are considered rather minor.
Game Preview
Prior to the NBA season being postponed the Clippers had won seven of eight games. They picked up victories against other teams that will be in the bubble like the Grizzlies, Nuggets, 76ers, Thunder, and Rockets, but their lone loss came against the Lakers.
As for the Lakers, they pieced together multiple long winning streaks in the regular season to become the top team in the Western Conference. They won four of their last five before the season came to a halt, but they dropped their last game against Brooklyn back in early March.
These teams are each led by a pair of superstars. Leonard and George came to the Clippers in the offseason, and they have been as good as advertised. They took a lot of time off to rest during the regular season, but they should both be ready for the sprint that will ensue in central Florida. Leonard is averaging 26.9 PPG while shooting 46.8 percent from the field, and George is putting up 21.0 PPG and knocking down 39.9 percent of his triples.
Anthony Davis is averaging a double-double for the Lakers, leading the team in points (26.7 PPG) and rebounds (9.4 RPG). He is getting plenty of great looks with LeBron James moving into more of a distributor role, so Davis is knocking down over 51 percent of his shots and has shown he can hit threes when defenders play off. As for James, he led the league in assists (10.6 APG) this season, and he is still capable of posting a triple-double at any time.
Prediction
Given the potential absences of Williams, Harrell, and Shamet, the Lakers have to be the pick here. However, the better play is the under as it’s going to take some time for these players to get back in a rhythm.
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