A pair of squads that are trending in opposite directions but are also tied atop the Pacific Division will meet up on the hardwood as the Phoenix Suns travel to the “City of Angels” to do battle with the Los Angeles Clippers. With that being said, it is time to check out our NBA odds series where our Suns-Clippers prediction and pick will be revealed.
Even though the Suns were without the services of Devin Booker in a 111-97 loss to the Rockets, the five-game slide that Phoenix is currently under is drawing some fair criticism and concerns for the organization. Now Phoenix sits at 16-12 and could be at risk of losing their division lead with a defeat versus the Clippers.
Unlike the Suns, Los Angeles has won a trio of ballgames in a row and have benefitted greatly with the return of forward Kawhi Leonard to the lineup after he has been spotty in missing games coming off of his brutal knee injury. With the roster finally at full health for the first time in what seems like forever, the Clippers were able to absolutely suffocate the Timberwolves last night in a 99-88 victory.
Here are the Suns-Clippers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Suns-Clippers Odds
Phoenix Suns: +1 (-108)
Los Angeles Clippers: -1 (-112)
Over: 217.5 (-108)
Under: 217.5 (-112)
Why The Suns Could Cover The Spread
At first glance, the biggest component that the Suns need back is obviously Devin Booker. This would be a great start, as it seems the injury bug has hit the basketball team located in the “Valley of the Sun” rather harshly at the moment. Outside of Booker's hamstring ailment, the Suns are also unsure if Deandre Ayton and Cameron Payne will be able to suit up for action due to ankle injuries of their own. Despite possibly being well-undermanned, there are still reasons to believe that the Suns can take care of business on Thursday night.
Even if Phoenix gets at least one player back from the injury report, the Suns must provide point-guard Chris Paul with a game plan that urges him to score more with the basketball. At the moment, Paul ranks second in the NBA in assists with 8.8 per contest in only 14 of his games played so far, but his scoring ways has been far from consistent. Now in his 18th season at the age of 37, Paul is only dropping 10.4 PPG, which would be a career-low. He is also only shooting 29% from three-point range.
While Paul will most likely be in charge of carrying the load, it will also be extremely important for the Suns to shoot more effectively as a team. In their 28 games played this season, Phoenix has shot 47% and 37.6% from behind the arc. While both statistics rank near the upper half of the league, they cannot afford to have a poor shooting night like they did versus Houston is they want to cover the spread while most likely being shorthanded.
Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread
Ladies and gentlemen, the Los Angeles Clippers are finally healthy! It has certainly been a couple of seasons in waiting to see how the Clippers operate with a full team at their disposal, but now the moment has finally arrived.
During the midst of their three-game winning streak, LA has excelled on the defensive end of the floor. Even on a night where the Clippers only shot 26.5% in the first half, Los Angeles buckled down and forced the Minnesota Timberwolves into a state of uncomfortableness. When the final whistle finally blew, the Clippers had held the T-Wolves to 41% shooting from the floor including a dreadful 18% mark from downtown. Simply put, Los Angeles' bread and butter comes from their defensive prowess and willingness to guard dribblers straight up.
As good as the defense has been, the offense has hit some bumps in the road and has rather been inconsistent to begin the year. Currently, Los Angeles averages the least amount of points per game in the entire league and often struggles to find high-percentage shots each time down on the floor. Nevertheless, this is not to say that Los Angeles does not possess the proper firepower to give opposing defenses fits.
When it comes to squaring off with a Suns defense that is a top-ten unit in the NBA, it will be essential for the Clippers to build off of their second-half performance versus Minnesota when they shot an impressive 52% on their field-goal attempts. For as bad as the offense has been, the Clippers also shoot the three-ball rather well at 36%, so if LA can get hot early, the defensive effort on the other side won't feel as pressured to force turnovers in order to cover the spread and ultimately come out victorious.
Final Suns-Clippers Prediction & Pick
With no love between these two divisional foes, there is little doubt that the entertainment level will be at an all-time high in this one. However, only one team will be able to cover, and with the Clippers obviously the healthier team and serving as the home team, Los Angeles is the pick here.
Final Suns-Clippers Prediction & Pick: Clippers -1 (-112)
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