NBA Regular Season 2023/24, Thursday, 29.02.2024
The derby between the Clippers and the Lakers will take place in the City of Angels on Thursday night. There should be plenty of excitement between the superstar-studded teams anyway!
My Clippers Lakers betting tip, which is worth downloading the Bet365 app for, explains why I expect a more than wafer-thin victory for the blue and red cargo sailors around Kawhi Leonard & Daniel Theis.
The Los Angeles Lakers, led by the ageing basketball “King” LeBron James and his co-superstar Anthony Davis, have won seven of their last ten games.
With a record of 31-28, they are right in the thick of the race for the final playoff/play-in spots in the Deep West.
In their last game, however, they were beaten 113-123 by the ambitious Phoenix Suns in an entertaining game
Both offensively (18th place with a rating of 114.5) and defensively (16th place with 115.1), the gold and purple are only average this season.
LeBron’s fifth championship is therefore somewhat unlikely this year
The city rivals, who have always been overshadowed by the Lakers (152-86 all-time record per Lakers), are preparing to play to the very end for the Finals and the championship.
The Clippers (actually a type of fast cargo sailing ship built in the United States) have been the hottest team in the NBA since December 1st!
After losing their first five games following the acquisition of former MVP James Harden, the team from the Angels’ city has recovered and has a formidable 35-10 record since December!
However, defeats against other ambitious teams such as the Pelicans (-11), Timberwolves (-21), Thunder (-22) and most recently the Kings (-16) have crept up on them recently
The Clippers have “only” won six of their last ten games.
Nevertheless, coach Tyronn Lue’s team can boast an elite offensive rating (4th with 119.1) and a decent defensive rating (13th with 114.6).
The game tailored to the superstars Kawhi Leonard (23.9 points per game), Paul George (22.1), James Harden (17.3 and 8.3 assists) and bench motor Russell Westbrook (11.2) is reflected, among other things, in the fact that no other team looks for isolation plays more often.
In addition, no other team plays fewer passes than the Clippers
However, these stats should not hide the fact that the Southern Californians run a variable offense.
It relies in particular on the unselfishness of its superstars, who are often put in the spotlight off the ball.
Meanwhile, German world champion Daniel Theis has quickly established himself as a valuable backup center for the Cargo Sailors with 6.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and a strong three-point percentage of 41%.
The extent to which the Clippers are now ahead of the Lakers in sporting terms can also be measured by the fact that the Clippers have won twelve of the last fourteen city derbies.
On the other hand, the Lakers have won two of this year’s three meetings (both home games won, away game lost).
I firmly expect the Clippers to win the upcoming game, as the Lakers haven’t won their season series against their city rivals since 2012.
In addition, the Clippers will do everything they can to overcome their current mini-slump in the prestigious city duel
While Lakers star Anthony Davis is likely to play after recovering from illness, LeBron James (ankle) and Clippers forward Paul George (knee problems) are still questionable.
All in all, the Clippers are the better and deeper team, having won 12 of the last fourteen meetings and the last home game against the Lakers.
Accordingly, I would be very surprised if the hosts did not win by at least four points.
This handicap bet is trading at attractive odds of 1.87 with the tax-free betting provider Bet365.
My Clippers Lakers tip for you is therefore: Clippers win despite handicap of -3.5!
