Lakers @ Clippers tips and picks: No James, no party as Clips run wild in revenge against rivals
- George Dempsey
- 23 January 2024
The second big rivalry matchup on Tuesday sees the Los Angeles Clippers (27-14) ‘host’ the Los Angeles Lakers (22-22) in downtown LA (Wed 0300 GMT).
The LA Lakers have won the first two meetings in the series this season but there’s absolutely no doubt in our minds the Clippers get the win this evening.
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Lakers @ Clippers preview
They were uncharacteristically at sixes and sevens as the Nets ran up a 20+ point lead last time out, but a 22-0 run in the final 5 minutes saw to that.
The Lakers found themselves in the exact same situation two nights before but had little response in a 130-112 loss.
They’ve rebounded since with a 134-110 against the Trail Blazers on Sunday night. Teams who scored 134+ points in their last game are on a 187-235 ATS (44.3%) run in the following game.
The Lakers are also 17-35 ATS after scoring 125+ points in their previous game and 1-6 ATS on the back of a win by 10+ points.
We expect the Clippers to be focused and highly motivated for the factors we’ve already touched on about. They’re playing with double revenge, and they don’t want another sloppy start.
Another crucial factor in taking this bet is the absence of LeBron James. Not to suggest that the Lakers are a two man team, but they're going to struggle tonight.
Anthony Davis is going to have to have one hell of a game to help his side keep up with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden et al.
If the Clippers are fully focused and playing their best basketball, then the Lakers will struggle to keep this within single digits without James.
