Clippers vs Lakers Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Clippers Slow Davis, Lakers to a Crawl

The Battle of Los Angeles always brings out the NBA bettors. But the latest duel between L.A. franchises feels less like a “battle” and more like a potential beatdown.

The Los Angeles Lakers clash with the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, with NBA odds setting the struggling Lakers as 5-point underdogs.

The Purple and Gold are mired in a nasty four-game funk and have won just twice in their past 11 games (4-7 ATS) while the Clippers ride a five-game winning streak and boast a red-hot 14-2 SU mark (11-5 ATS) since December 2.

I size up the spread and Over/Under total for this La-La Land rivalry and give my best NBA picks and predictions for Clippers vs. Lakers on Sunday, January 7.

Clippers vs Lakers odds

Clippers vs Lakers predictions

The Lakers’ stars are saying all the right things when it comes to sparring with questions about their current slide. But words and actions are two different things.

The Purple and Gold are in a bad place and the Clippers have no qualms about kicking their hallway neighbor when they’re down.

The “other” L.A. team has been among the NBA elite for the past month, anchored in a lockdown defense that has limited foes to 114 points on 46% shooting since December 2 and turned up that defensive intensity during the Clips’ current five-game run.

Not giving up easy buckets is a big reason why the Clippers are containing opponents, ranking among the Top 10 in limiting points in the paint and second-chance buckets, as well as doing a great job cleaning the defensive glass.

That interior toughness will make it hard on Lakers standout forward Anthony Davis on Sunday night.

Davis has been walking the walk for L.A. during this skid, averaging just over 28 points per game during this four-game flop while playing through an ankle injury that has him as a “game-time decision” each night.

That output has his scoring prop at 28.5 points Over/Under for this SoCal showdown, the same spot it’s been parked the past five games (Davis is 3-2 O/U vs. the point prop in that span). Player projections for AD all come in below this scoring total, with a basement of 23.8 points versus the Clippers and a ceiling maxed at 25.8.

My forecast calls for 24.2 points from Davis, who takes on a Los Angeles defense doing a great job clogging up the paint against opposing centers. On the season, the Clippers rank 11th in points allowed to the center position (19.1 ppg) and have done a solid job defending Davis in recent meetings — or at least tempering his impact.

He scored 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting when these L.A. franchises played on November 1, with two of those tallies coming in overtime during that 130-125 win from the Lakers — one of the best offensive efforts on the season (51% shooting) for a team currently stuck in mud when it comes to scoring.

Last year, Davis posted efforts of 17, 21, and 25 points in his three contests with the Clippers, shooting a collective 25-for-46 from the floor.

Again, player models aren’t necessarily calling for a bad night from Davis, just not as good as some of his recent efforts and a few points shy of the oddsmakers’ expectations.

Given my projection (24.2), the Under 28.5 points for Davis’ scoring total should be priced in the range of -280. However, you can find the Anthony Davis odds on Under 28.5 at EVEN over at DraftKings, and most operators are -104 to -115 on this side of the number.

My best bet: Anthony Davis Under 28.5 points (+100 at DraftKings)

Clippers vs Lakers same-game parlay

Anthony Davis Under 28.5 points

Clippers moneyline

Russell Westbrook Over 3.5 assists

+336 at FanDuel

Davis’ scoring prop once again comes in at 28.5 points but he’s facing a much stiffer defensive test in the Clippers, and player forecasts are all short of this number.

The Clippers are smothering teams with their defense and then slowing down the game with their methodical pace on offense. The Lakers may put up a fight, but the Clips will kick them when they’re down.

Russell Westbrook can find a way to hurt his old team in one way or another. His assist prop is at 3.5, but many player models like Russ to dish at least five dimes this Sunday night. 

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Clippers vs Lakers spread and Over/Under analysis

The Clippers close out a three-game road trip by playing the role of visitor in their own area on Sunday night. Bookmakers opened betting with the Clips as short as a 3.5-point favorite, and that spread has since climbed as high as -5.5 as of Sunday morning.

The contrast in momentum and some injury designations to some of the Lakers’ starters are moving this line, with Davis (leaning toward probable) and guard D’Angelo Russell (upgraded to questionable) listed as game-time decisions. The Lakers are still without reserve guards Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent.

Injuries aren’t to blame for the Lakers’ recent rotten stretch of play, however. They’ve struggled to consistently score over those past 11 games, ranking 25th in offensive rating since December 15.

Those offensive woes have been worse during this current four-game slide, with L.A. shooting just over 45% from the floor and mustering an average of 106 points per game. Adding to those issues are struggles on the defensive end, which has left the Lakers to get outscored by an average of 12.5 points over those four losses.

The Clippers, on the other hand, are one of the hottest teams in the NBA entering 2024. They rolled through December with a sixth-best net rating for the month (+5.8) and have upped that advanced metric to +13.0 during this current five-game winning streak.

Defense is the catalyst, with the Clips limiting four of those five opponents to 106 points or less. They’re checking rival teams to 44% shooting and dragging teams into the mud with a methodical offensive pace (ranked fourth-slowest during this stretch). The Clippers are extremely efficient on those possessions, shooting nearly 52% from the floor — including 42% from beyond the 3-point arc.

Sunday’s Over/Under total opened at 231.5 points and is down to 230.5 O/U as of Sunday morning. Both teams have leaned toward the Under inside Crypto.com Arena this season, with the Lakers owning a 6-10 O/U count at home and the Clippers going 5-12-1 O/U in Los Angeles.

Clippers vs Lakers betting trend to know

The Clippers have owned the “Battle of L.A.” in recent seasons, boasting a 9-1 SU record and 8-2 ATS mark in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Find more NBA betting trends for Clippers vs. Lakers.

Clippers vs Lakers game info

Clippers vs Lakers latest injuries

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