The Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers collide at the crypto.com Arena on Thursday night.
The Los Angeles Clippers will be eager to return to the playoffs following another disappointing season plagued by injuries. Paul George led the team with averages of 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists in the 31 games he played, Norman Powell averaged 21.4 points in his five games, Reggie Jackson averaged 16.8 points and 4.8 assists per game while Terance Mann averaged 10.8 points while playing 81 games. As a team, the Clippers scored 108.4 points per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from the 3-point line.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers will be hoping to bounce back after getting routed by the Warriors in a 123-109 road loss on opening night. LeBron James led the way with 31 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, Anthony Davis added 27 points with six rebounds and four steals while Russell Westbrook tallied 19 points with 11 rebounds and three assists. As a team, the Lakers shot just 43 percent from the field and 10 of 40 from the 3-point line as they struggled to contain the Warriors from the start and trailed by as many as 27 points before they exploded for 38 points in the fourth quarter to keep the final scores respectable.
Looking at the betting trends, the Clippers are 6-0 ATS in their last six games against a team with a losing record, 1-4 ATS in their last five road games and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. The Lakers are 2-7 ATS in their last nine Thursday games.
Head to head, the Clippers are 35-17 ATS in the last 52 meetings overall and the Clippers are 10-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Los Angeles.
The Clippers should be at full strength to start the season which is a real rarity for them as they had no continuity last season, while the Lakers should have Davis and James in the lineup despite both being listed on the injury report. It’s hard to predict what we’re going to see from the Clippers in their first game of the season, but one thing we know for sure is that the Clippers always get up to play the Lakers. The Clippers are a dominant 10-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Los Angeles and I think that trend continues here as the Clippers get the win and cover.
