Filip Tomic
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Wednesday brings us the Battle of Los Angeles as the Lakers and Clippers square off for the 4th and final time this season. LeBron James and company are ahead 2-1 in the series, so the Clippers will be extra motivated to even things out here. I’ve prepared a Lakers vs Clippers Same Game Parlay to spice things up a little, which includes a spread pick and 2 player prop bets. Don’t forget to also check out our NBA picks for the rest of Wednesday’s games.
Clippers -3.5 (-112)
Norman Powell over 2.5 made threes (-146)
D’Angelo Russell over 2.5 made threes (-120)
Same Game Parlay odds: +420
Los Angeles Clippers -3.5 over Los Angeles Lakers (-112)
The balance of power is in the hands of Anthony Davis ahead of tonight’s game — more specifically in his availability. The latest reports coming out of the Lakers camp are saying he’s battling an upper respiratory illness which could keep him out of tonight’s game. Davis not playing would be a devastating blow to the Lakers’ chances here. When AD doesn’t play, the Lakers have just 1 win in 4 games this season. He is arguably their best player — even ahead of LeBron James.
The Clippers didn’t have the best of restarts following the all-star break, but I’m expecting a response from them here as they face a familiar foe. Right now, they’re riding a 7-game win streak in home games against the Lakers and have won 8 of the last 10 head-to-head. Paul George will miss yet another game with a knee issue, but that hasn’t hindered the Clippers at all this season as they’ve won 3 of their 4 games without him. I’m expecting big things from Kawhi Leonard and the rest of his teammates, so let’s back the Clippers to cover the spread.
Read our full LA Lakers vs LA Clippers predictions
Norman Powell over 2.5 made threes (-146)
Norman Powell has been a big-time player for the Clippers in his last 3 games, clearing this line with ease by knocking down 5, 4 and 5 threes against the Kings, Thunder and Warriors. He’s averaging 20 points per game during this mini-stretch, which is very encouraging considering the absence of Paul George, who is putting up 22.1 points per game this year. For the season, Powell is at 13.6 points per game, but that number has gone up to 19.3 in the 4 games where PG13 hasn’t played. It’s quite clear that head coach Ty Lue is counting on him to fill the void here, so expect him to get double-digit shot attempts.
Will Powell convert 3 threes? Well, he’s done so in 3 of those 4 games when George didn’t play, plus for the month of February, he’s at 48.1% efficiency from downtown which is an improvement for the 2nd month in a row. Add into all that the Lakers’ poor perimeter defense in their last 3 games, where opponents are knocking down over 40% of their attempts, and I believe Powell will do enough to cash on our bet.
D’Angelo Russell over 2.5 made threes (-120)
Another player who should step up in the potential absence of a superstar teammate is D’Angelo Russell. At times, Russell too has looked like a superstar this season, especially on the offensive end. He’s put up 20.2 points per game over his last 9 outings on almost 42% from downtown. Against the Clippers, he’s upped that to 22.3 per game in the 3 meetings this season, on 38.5% efficiency from three-point land. One of the reasons why the Clippers have slipped a little over their last 3 games is their lack of defense around the perimeter – teams are making 1.6% more threes against them compared to their season average, so the Lakers will likely aim to take advantage of that here. After seeing Russell clear this line in all 3 meetings against his cross-town rival, I am confident he can do it one last time as they conclude the regular season series.
