Subscribe
Follow Us
The Los Angeles Clippers (2-2) visit the Oklahoma City Thunder (1-3) in a second consecutive matchup between the two teams. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 pm ET. Below we continue our NBA odds series with a Clippers-Thunder prediction.
The Clippers are 2-2 after Tuesday's surprise loss to the Thunder. Los Angeles is 1-3 against the spread (ATS) after covering 48% of games last season. All four of their games have gone under – continuing last season's under trend (52%).
The Thunder sit at 1-3 following their upset win over the Clippers. Oklahoma City is 3-1 ATS – replicating their strong cover rate of 62% last season. Three of Oklahoma City's four games have gone under despite only 50% of games going under last year.
Oklahoma City stole the previous matchup by 14 points and the game totaled 202 points. Last season the Clippers took two of three games against the Thunder. Los Angeles won by five and 50, while Oklahoma City won the lone home matchup by one. Two of the three matchups last year went under tonight's 217.5-point total.
Here are the Clippers-Thunder NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Clippers-Thunder Odds
Los Angeles Clippers: -6.5 (-110)
Oklahoma City Thunder: +6.5 (-110)
Over: 217.5 (-112)
Under: 217.5 (-108)
Article Continues Below
Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread
Despite losing to the Thunder on Tuesday, the Clippers are expected to welcome star Paul George back to their starting lineup. George missed Tuesday's game with an illness but should return for a Clippers team looking to avoid dropping two consecutive games to one of the teams expected to tank this season.
George will be a sight for sore eyes upon being able to return. The Clippers struggled to get anything going offensively in his absence. No player surpassed 15 points in the loss for LA and just one starter reached double figures. Enter: Paul George. Although George hasn't shot the ball particularly well by his standards (44% from the field and 30% from three) he's been the teams leading scorer. Clocking in with 23.7 PPG, George has had to occupy the number one option for the Clippers as fellow wing Kawhi Leonard works his way back from injury. PG-13 has looked rusty at times this year but flashed his game-changing abilities in a 40-point effort last weekend. He'll need another strong effort to fend off a frisky Thunder team.
Outside of George, the Clippers will need one of their plethora of role players to step up if they want to cover. Forward Marcus Morris has acted as the team's second-leading scorer with 15 PPG. Morris missed the last game for personal reasons and if he's unable to suit up again the secondary scoring responsibilities will fall to guards John Wall and Luke Kennard. Wall (14.7 PPG) has looked explosive at times but is still shaking off the rust after sitting for nearly two full seasons. Kennard did pace the team with 15 points in Tuesday's loss and his hot shooting is something to keep in mind when making a Clippers-Thunder prediction.
Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread
The Thunder picked up their first win earlier this week over LA but have consistently battled opposing teams. Despite rough matchups against the Timberwolves and Nuggets, Oklahoma City has covered three of four games. The young team was undervalued by the market last season and, at least in the early goings, appears to be undervalued this year, too.
Oklahoma City has a number of exciting young players capable of popping on any given night, but point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stands above the rest. SGA has improved his scoring in each season of his career but appears to have taken a major leap this year. The 24-year-old has averaged 31 PPG and 6.7 assists per game this season on an efficient 49% shooting. He's quietly become one of the best young guards in the league and his 33-point performance in their last outing was a huge reason for their cover.
SGA wasn't the only Thunder guard to stand out in their win over the Clippers, as Tre Mann recorded the fourth-highest-scoring game of his career. The 21-year-old put up 25 points in the victory despite going just 2-8 from three. Mann is a capable shooter and could easily flip the script and have an outlier game in the other direction from three. If that's the case – look out.
Final Clippers-Thunder Prediction & Pick
Even with Paul George returning for LA, the Clippers will still be without a number of key contributors. The Thunder managed to win by double-digits despite shooting 4-30 from three. The boost George gives the Clippers should be offset enough by Oklahoma City's bounce-back shooting to keep this game close.
Final Clippers-Thunder Prediction & Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder +6.5 (-110)
