Subscribe
Follow Us
The NBA regular season continues with games on Monday. The Brooklyn Nets will hit the road and take on the Los Angeles Clippers. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Nets-Clippers prediction and pick.
These two teams have been having different seasons. The Brooklyn Nets are 22-9 and are coming off a solid Christmas Day victory. While the Los Angeles Clippers are 17-16 and are coming off a disappointing loss. Both teams are impacted by COVID so this one should be interesting.
Here are the odds for the Nets-Clippers Monday night NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Nets-Clippers Odds
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Brooklyn Nets: -4 (-110)
Los Angeles Clippers: +4 (-110)
Over: 213.5 (-110)
Under: 213.5 (-110)
Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread
The Brooklyn Nets have been having a good season. Through their first 31 games, they have managed to win 22 and lose only 9. They are coming off a 7-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas. The Nets were able to shut down a late run by LA and hold on to their lead to secure the win. Brooklyn has been hugely impacted by COVID so seeing them win that game should make fans optimistic about Monday’s match. If Brooklyn wants to win on Monday they will need to maintain the level of play they demonstrated on Christmas. Brooklyn will continue to battle with COVID but as they have shown already, they are able to step things up.
It’s kind of surprising that the Lakers were able to make the game close against Brooklyn. The Nets were dominant across nearly all metrics, yet LA was able to make a late run that nearly cost Brooklyn the game. The only category LA had the edge in was rebounds and only by a slim margin of 6. Brooklyn’s biggest problem in that game was complacency. They allowed the Lakers to outscore them 33-20 in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn can not let the Clippers do the same. If the Nets want to continue to consistently win games they need to close things out. If Brooklyn can hold on to their lead then they will likely end up on top at the end of Monday’s match.
Article Continues Below
The Brooklyn Nets have been devastated by COVID. They currently have five players in the league’s health and safety protocols. Most notably, Kevin Durant will remain out for Monday’s game. While that is a huge loss to the Nets, they showed that they are able to overcome this adversity. James Harden stepped up and had an impressive game. Harden had a triple-double with 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. If Harden can have a similar performance on Monday then the Clippers are in trouble. Expect This Brooklyn team to step up on Monday.
Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread
The Los Angeles Clippers have not been having a great season. Through their first 33 games, they have managed to squeak out a winning record with 17 wins and 16 losses. However, this is in large part due to injuries. The Clippers have been hit pretty hard this year and the fact that they have still managed to have a winning record through this first chunk of the season is impressive. LA is coming off a 3 point loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Clippers were down as much as 17 in that game but were able to make a push and keep the game close. If LA can bring the energy that they did in that game to this one then they have a shot at taking down Brooklyn.
In the Clippers' loss to the Nuggets, the statistics were nearly dead even across the board. However, one stark contrast explains Denver's victory. Both teams made almost the same number of shots, a difference of one, but the Nuggets made seven more three-pointers than the Clippers. LA's inefficiency from beyond the arc likely cost them the game. They only took 26 threes and of those attempts, they only made 8. If LA wants to keep up with an offensive powerhouse like the Nets, then they need to start hitting threes.
While COVID has been horrible throughout the league, injuries seem to be hitting this LA team even harder. The Clippers have five players out with injuries. The most notable addition to the list is Paul George. George tore a ligament in his right elbow and will be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks. This is a devastating loss to the Clippers, George was a key reason that this team was staying afloat. It's easy to forget about injuries when COVID has been running rampant, but they still impact teams and are certainly impacting this one.
Final Nets-Clippers Prediction & Pick
This is a pretty easy pick. The Clippers are crippled right now, and while the Nets will be without some key players, they have already proven that they can battle through adversity. It's tough to see the Clippers coming out ahead of this one, it seems much more likely that Brooklyn will complete the sweep of LA. Pick the Nets to win and cover.
FINAL NETS-CLIPPERS PICK: Brooklyn Nets -4 (-110)
FINAL NETS-CLIPPERS SCORE PREDICTION: Nets 112 – Clippers 103
