Two teams jostling for positions in the Western Conference playoff race will collide on Wednesday night, with the L.A. Clippers heading to Texas to take on the San Antonio Spurs.
Can the Clippers take advantage of their matchup against a Spurs team in potential flux, with trade rumors swirling around DeMar DeRozan, on the eve of the trade deadline? Find out in our free NBA betting picks and predictions for Clippers vs. Spurs on Wednesday, March 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
L.A. Clippers at San Antonio Spurs betting preview
Injuries
Clippers: Serge Ibaka PF (Questionable), Patrick Beverley PG (Out).
Spurs: Keita Bates-Diop SF (Out), Lamarcus Aldridge C (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Under is 5-2 in the Clippers' last 7 games following an ATS win. Find more NBA betting trends for Clippers vs. Spurs.
NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonTwinSpires pegged Los Angeles a 5.5-point favorite at the outset and is up to -6 on two-way action at 4:30 p.m. ET, with 53 percent of bets on the Clippers and 52 percent of money on the Spurs. The total is up 1.5 points to 222, although the Under is getting 60 percent of bets/69 percent of cash.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the spread (ATS) pick
The Clippers are coming off an emotional comeback win against the Hawks, a victory that saw them outscore Atlanta 37-20 in the fourth, including a dagger three from Kawhi Leonard that evoked an emotional reaction out of the league's most stoic superstar.
Though it has been a mixed bag for L.A. recently, 5-5 SU and ATS over its last 10, LeBron James' high-ankle sprain has opened the door for the Clips – and the Clips alone – to challenge the Jazz for the top seed in the west. While they may yet add a veteran point guard to the mix ahead of Thursday's deadline, with Leonard and Paul George healthy, L.A. is more-or-less equipped to make that run now.
San Antonio, meanwhile, finds itself in a curious place. Similar to the Clips, it is 5-5 SU and 6-4 ATS over its last 10. At 22-18, the Spurs should at the very least be in the play-in picture come season's end.
However, they could undergo major changes shortly.
One change has already occurred, with the team and LaMarcus Aldridge agreeing to part ways, whether it's by a trade or a post-deadline buyout. The more major change, which would allow for the Spurs to fully embrace their youth movement, would be to trade DeRozan. With trade talks reportedly picking up, DeRozan could be sat out of this one with the deadline looming.
Regardless of DeRozan's status for the rest of 2021, these two teams are in different places. L.A., as it has been since the summer of 2019, is all-in right now. San Antonio, meanwhile, has already begun to look toward the future and could be without its best player on Wednesday—and moving forward. We like the Clips in this spot.
PREDICTION: Clippers -6 (-110)
Over/Under pick
With a superstar in Leonard, who scores with tremendous efficiency, and a sidekick in George having the best shooting season of his career, the Clippers' offense has been unsurprisingly great in 2021. At 25-18-1 O/U on the year, L.A. has topped high totals with regularity on the backs of Leonard and George, who have helped the team's offense rank second in efficiency and rating.
At 17-23 O/U, with a middling offense in terms of efficiency and the third-highest two-point rate in the NBA, the Spurs are always an uninspiring Over pick. They would be even more so should DeRozan sit out of this one, as he leads San Antonio in win shares, PER, VoRP, as well as points and assists per game.
Even with the Clips' potent offense, we would lean Under the total here, regardless of DeRozan's status. With his future uncertain, we'll confidently go Under.
PREDICTION: Under 220 (-110)
First quarter prop pick
While the days of Gregg Popovich's hilarious, wildly early timeouts are in the past, San Antonio's early troubles are very much still a present-day issue. The Spurs are the NBA's second-worst team against the spread in the first quarter of games, at 13-27. At home, they are a mind-bogglingly terrible 4-17.
Though the Clippers are not world-beaters to start games, with the league's ninth-best ATS mark at 23-18-3, we're still backing them to cover out of the gates and move the Spurs' first quarter ATS mark to 4-18.
PREDICTION: First quarter spread - Clippers -1.5 (-107)
Clippers vs Spurs betting card
- Clippers -6 (-110)
- Under 220 (-110)
- First quarter spread - Clippers -1.5 (-107)
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