Two Los Angeles teams face off again in a game to see who’s the best between them. The Lakers, fresh off their win over the Trail Blazers, head to take on the Clippers. With Anthony Davis back in the lineup, the Lakers have a good chance to win here.
However, the Clippers’ defense is stingy with the ball. Can the Lakers overcome this strong defense on Thursday?
Unfortunately for the Clippers, injuries have plagued them the entire year. Because of this, they’ve found themselves struggling to get ahead. They have a record of 26-27, and there aren’t many signs that this record is going to get much better.
With Paul George and Kawhi Leonard still out, can the Clippers win this game? More importantly, can they cover the spread tonight?
Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers need A.D to shine tonight
After putting up 30 points against the Trail Blazers, the Lakers need another strong performance from A.D. It’s clear that if the Lakers are going to go anywhere in the post-season, it’ll be because of Davis.
Still, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the team need to do their part against the Clippers. The Clippers have quite a strong defense, allowing only 106.79 points per game.
As they face the No.10 defense in the NBA, the Lakers need to find a way to avoid turnovers. Most will agree that this falls on Russell Westbrook; however, he’s not the only culprit. In order to win this one, the Lakers need to play smart basketball.
It’d also be nice to see them get their 73.34% free-throw shooting up over 75%. These little things go a long way in winning games.
Los Angeles Clippers: George & Leonard out again
There isn’t a timetable on when the Clippers’ two best players will return. Unfortunately, without them, it’ll be hard to cover the three-point spread tonight. We understand the Lakers have had trouble beating the Clippers in the past.
However, the Clippers don’t have an answer for Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Especially if starting center Ivica Zubac is out on Thursday night.
The good news for the Clippers is that Nicolas Batum is back in the lineup. In the absence of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, Batum has stepped up.
Still, with most of the attention on him, he won’t be nearly as productive. For the Clippers to pull this off, they need to stretch the floor and knock down shots. They shoot 35.8% from the 3PT line; this will greatly help their chances.
The spread and the pick for this Thursday night matchup
As we mentioned earlier, the Clippers are three-point favorites to win this game. This is due to a multitude of reasons, the most notable being their 7-3 record in the last ten against the Lakers.
However, we don’t think this one will pan out for the Clippers, mainly because of injuries. Dealing with both Westbrook and Davis won’t be easy with so many players sidelined.
Because of that, we’ll take the Los Angeles Lakers to win this game and cover the spread. The Lakers proved against the Trail Blazers that they have what it takes to win. As they head to face the Clippers, the Lakers will again use Anthony Davis to set the tone.
Look for the Lakers to win this game and cover the spread.
Los Angeles Lakers 104, Los Angeles Clippers 100
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