Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers pushes Patrick Beverly.
After a heated offseason that saw Kawhi Leonard burn the Lakers only to take his talents to the Clippers, there has been some boiling animosity between the two franchises. Both teams look considerably different from last year with the Clippers adding Leonard and Paul George to their playoff-tested roster while the Lakers come in featuring an almost entirely new cast of faces headlined by LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The opening night matchup marks the first of four showdowns between the Pacific Division foes and is a home game for the Clippers. The two meet up again next on Christmas Day before their final two showdowns on January 28th and March 8th. Barring any further setbacks, both Paul George and Kyle Kuzma should be back from their injuries by the next showdown.
Lakers vs Clippers Betting: Latest Line & Odds
Betting line & Trends courtesy of Oddsshark
What: Los Angeles Lakers (-165) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (+145)
When: Tuesday, October 22nd @ 7:30 PM PT
Where: Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
Spread: Lakers -3.5
Point Total: 223.5
Lakers vs Clippers Betting: Notable Trends
- Lakers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of the Lakers’ last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Clippers
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Clippers’ last 5 games
- LA Clippers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games
Lakers vs Clippers Betting: Prediction & Pick
Anthony Davis discussed his excitement to begin the regular season tomorrow night against the Clippers.
Despite the Lakers posting an incredible defensive rating of 91.5 when James and Davis shared the court in the preseason, this game should likely see a hefty point total. The Clippers don’t have an answer to the Lakers’ size and athleticism in the frontcourt – a similar problem Golden State faced against the Lakers in the preseason. While the Clippers’ pair of Montrezl Harrell and Ivica Zubac is undoubtedly an upgrade over Eric Paschall and Omari Spellman, they should still find themselves fighting an uphill battle against Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee, and Dwight Howard. To make matters worse, the Clippers are without one half of their superstar duo, Paul George, to start the season.
While the Lakers do hold a matchup advantage in the frontcourt, the Clippers bring back tons of continuity from last year’s scrappy playoff team and are a team that consistently finds ways to keep themselves in games. Expect that trend to continue as while the offense may look strong for the Lakers, the fact that there are so many new faces leads to an inevitable learning curve on the defensive end. Expect the Clippers to be able to utilize the Lakers’ relative inexperience to continue finding ways to hang around and keep the game close.
Given the experience gap and the Clippers’ scrappy nature, taking the Lakers with the points is a risky move – even with Paul George out. Instead, take a look to the over. For as much praise as the Clippers defense has gotten over the offseason, they were actually in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating last year. While they added Leonard, who should help, they still struggled in the preseason – only able to hold the CBA’s Shanghai Sharks to under 100 points.
Pick: Over 223.5