NBA Regular Season 2023/24, Sunday, March 24, 2024
In the NBA, tonight’s prime-time matchup features two title contenders who have recently threatened to run out of steam. So there should be plenty of excitement in downtown Los Angeles!
My Clippers 76ers betting tip in the Bet365 app tells you why you can expect 24 or more points from LAC star Paul George
As recently as February 7, the Clippers (actually a type of fast cargo sailing ship created in the United States) had legitimate hopes for the first seed in the Western Conference with a 34-15 record.
Since then, however, the Southern Californians around the four future Hall-of-Famers Leonard, George, Harden and Westbrook have been somewhat inconsistent and only have an even record of 10-10.
They were beaten in a row against other ambitious teams such as New Orleans (-11 and -8), Minnesota (-21 and -18), OKC (-22), Sacramento (-16), the Lakers (-4) and Milwaukee (twice -7).
In that period, the Freight Sailors still have the fourteenth-best offense (rating of 115.5), but the defense has been the fifth-worst in the league since then (116.5)!
They are also in the bottom third in the categories of assist percentage (27th), assist-turnover ratio (22nd), rebound percentage (23rd), opponents’ three-point percentage (28th) and opponents’ turnovers (25th).
The two recent must-win games in Portland (+13 and +8) should have calmed the nerves of the LAC supporters somewhat.
Until the end of the regular season in mid-April, coach Tyronn Lue’s men are likely to be primarily concerned with defending fourth place and the home court advantage that comes with it against their rivals from New Orleans (LAC currently 1.5 games ahead).
The visiting 76ers have also slumped since the end of January and have only managed a lousy 9-16 record since then (previously 29-16).
The current road trip to the West Coast is not very promising with two defeats at the Suns (-13) and Lakers (-7).
In contrast to the Clippers, however, the reason for the slump in performance is much more understandable, as superstar center and offensive force of nature Joel Embiid has been missing the East Coast team since January 31 with a meniscus injury.
However, his rehab appears to be progressing promisingly and the reigning MVP could ideally be back for the start of the playoffs.
However, Philadelphia will have to fight for a ticket until then
Philly currently sits in eighth place in the East, 1.5 games back of the first safe playoff spot, which would qualify them for the play-in tournament.
Since Embiid’s retirement, the 76ers rank 22nd both offensively (109.6 rating) and defensively (115.9).
The offensive responsibility has since fallen mainly on first-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey, who has averaged 25.9 points and 5.3 assists with an acceptable 44% field goal percentage since February.
The fact that Philly has won the last three games against the Clippers (including two games in LA) speaks in favor of the team under the aegis of Nick Nurse, who became champion with LAC star Kawhi Leonard with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
However, the last meeting was more than a year ago (January 17, 2023).
In tonight’s game, which will be broadcast on German free TV by ProSieben Maxx, I expect another gala performance from Clippers forward Paul George
Because “PG13” is averaging 27.6 points in his last five games with outstanding percentages of 58.8 % from the field and 48.8 % from the three-point line.
As already mentioned, the 76ers defense is anything but in form at the moment and is likely to focus primarily on George’s co-stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, which should lead to a lot of high-percentage finishing opportunities for George.
The probable absence of bench scorer Norman Powell should also free up more perimeter shots for George and Co.
I therefore recommend betting on over 23.5 points from PG13, an outcome that is trading at formidable odds of 1.87 at Bet365.
My Clippers 76ers tip: Paul George scores at least 24 points!
