It doesn’t look like either team is poised to win an NBA championship and just reaching the playoffs would be a huge accomplishment. But tuning into the Los Angeles Lakers against the Los Angeles Clippers matchup would be worth it for all the drama. The Lakers are sinking faster than the Titanic and were even booed off the court in their most recent setback, a 125-93 pounding at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. That came a few days after they dropped a close one to the Clips, 105-102, their sixth straight loss to their arena co-tenant.
Thursday’s game between the Lakers and Clippers will air live on TNT with tip off at 10 p.m. ET from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game on the NBA schedule.
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Odds Analysis
There was a glimmer of hope right before the All-Star break when the Lakers lost a close one to the Warriors and upended the Jazz. It looked like they might be getting things together. However, an injury to Anthony Davis in the Utah game put him on the shelf and LeBron James caused more issues with statements he made during All-Star weekend. And the Lakers stumbled out of the gate losing to the Clippers and New Orleans. They failed to cover in both games as a slight favorite falling to 26-34 ATS. They haven’t won consecutive games since early January going 6-14 in 20 games following a season-best four-game winning streak. Once holding championship aspirations, the Lakers are trying to stay in the play-in conversation. At 27-33 they are just 2.5 games ahead of 11th place Portland in the West standings.
Without several of their star attractions the Clippers have kept their heads above water taking advantage of a soft spot in their schedule. Their last five games, including this one, have been against two teams. The Clips knocked off Houston twice and beat the Lakers running their winning streak to three while winning five of their last six. They went 5-1 ATS in that span. They’ll play the Rockets again ahead of this matchup. And the Clips go for the rare season sweep of their inter-city rival. They ran their winning streak in the series to six with a 105-102 win just a week ago and they are 6-1 ATS in their previous seven meetings.
Los Angeles Lakers
It’s sad to see the Lakers in such disarray. They dealt away several assets in the offseason in order to acquire Russell Westbrook and that move has backfired. Russ is having a difficult season and he’s brought the team down with him. We kept waiting for them to make a run with all the new pieces, but it hasn’t happened and likely won’t. Heck, even the return of Anthony Davis won’t save them.
James was frustrated the team didn’t make any moves at the deadline, though it didn’t come from a lack of trying. And it appears as though the team will adjust its roster ahead of this matchup. Former Clipper DeAndre Jordan was let go and the club will reportedly sign D.J. Augustin, giving them a true backup point guard for Westbrook. Not sure that’s gonna help, but it is something.
Los Angeles Clippers
They’ve shared the same town for four decades and the same arena for 20 years, but LA has never been the Clippers town. They are trying to change that even if the Lob City teams from a few years back couldn’t do it. The Clips have done far more with much less than their arena counterparts putting distance between themselves and the Lakers in the standings by winning three straight and five of six.
With Kawhi Leonard out for the season and Paul George having his stay on the shelf extended, the Clippers have been winning games with the help of a lot of people. In last week’s win over the Lakers seven players scored in double figures with Terrance Mann going for 19 and Luke Kennard 18. Reggie Jackson dropped 26 in a 99-98 win over the Rockets with former Laker Ivica Zubac adding 14 points and 15 boards.
Lakers at Clippers NBA Odds Pick
You can feel another close game coming between these clubs considering how close they are in the stats and standings. And they haven’t disappointed in three earlier meetings with the Clips winning them all by a total of eight points. Just like their fans, I’ve lost all confidence in the Lakers opening the door for another Clippers victory. They’re hard to defend and come at you from everywhere with the entire roster contributing. The Lakers, meanwhile, are making more adjustments to their roster making it tougher to find any continuity.
NBA Odds Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers / UNDER
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