On Thursday, the Phoenix Suns (29-8 SU, 20-17 ATS) will host the Los Angeles Clippers (19-19 SU, 17-21 ATS) at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. Will the Suns cruise to double digit victory? Or will the Clippers battle to keep this one close and under control?
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Betting Odds and Lines
Sportsbook: BetUS
Over/Under: 221
Point spread: Clippers +10.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Suns -600 / Clippers +450
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Injury Report
All injury reports are at the time of writing. Keep an eye on any late changes as the injury reports are fluid until tip.
For the Los Angeles Clippers, Luke Kennard and Ivica Zubac are likely to be out as they remain in health and safety protocols. Isaiah Hartenstein and Paul George both remain out as well.
For the Phoenix Suns, DeAndre Ayton, Javale Mcgee, Landry Shamet, Abdel Nader and Jae Crowder will remain out in Health and Safety Protocols.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Preview
Clippers Struggling with Absences
The Clippers have lost seven of their last 10 games, as they’ve been dealing with some absences to key rotation players.
Over the last ten games, the Clippers rank 18th in Defensive Rating and 27th in Offensive Rating. So they’ve fallen off quite dramatically, as they are 4th in the NBA in Defensive Rating on the season. Offensively, not much has changed, as they are 27th in the NBA in that category on the year.
Much of that has to do with the loss of Paul George’s elite perimeter defensive ability as well as the absence of Ivica Zubac and Isaiah Hartenstein down low. With those two out, the Clippers have been relying heavily on Serge Ibaka to defend the paint, which has not gone well so far.
Phoenix Morphing into Championship Form
The Phoenix suns are a force to be reckoned with. On the season they are 8th in offensive rating, 2nd in Defensive Rating and 3rd in Net Rating, per NBA Advanced Stats.
They’ve been even better in the last ten games, ranking 1st in Offensive Rating and 2nd in Defensive Rating. They’ve done this without Deandre Ayton, Javale McGee, Abdel Nader, Landry Shamet and Jae Crowder.
But the Suns have been buoyed by great stretches from Chris Paul and Devin Booker as well as continued contributions from Cam Payne, Mikal Bridges, and Cam Johnson.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Prediction
While the Suns have been an elite Offensive unit this season, I am still looking towards the under in this matchup. The Clippers are averaging just 103.4 points per game over their last ten against pretty sub-par defensive units including the Kings, Spurs and Nuggets.
When they have faced stiff defensive competition against teams like the Celtics, they can barely crack 100. Meanwhile, even though the Clippers’ have been dreadful on the defensive end of late, I think the Suns will have to rely on more shot-making tonight than usual. With McGee and Ayton out, they won’t be able to abuse the paint.
While the Suns have been great, I still think they’ll have to be on fire from outside in order to clear this total. Back the Under at 222 as the Clippers struggle to score and Suns don’t do enough to cash the over themselves.
All betting lines were retrieved from BetUS. Click below to claim a free bet, if you’re a new customer.
