Los Angeles Lakers v Los Angeles Clippers: Prediction, Tips and Odds

The Oscars aren’t the only big event in Los Angeles on Sunday night. The city’s two NBA teams will meet for the final time in the regular season as the play-off chase in the Western Conference heats up.

The Lakers have pushed themselves into contender status in recent weeks, with a five-game winning run helping them into third place in the standings. On the other hand, the Clippers have been on the slide of late, with six defeats in 10, leaving them in danger of dropping out of the top six and into the Play-In.

The Lakers have won the last two clashes between the pair, but can the Clippers tie the season series with a victory?

Los Angeles Lakers v Los Angeles Clippers prop bets - tips and predictions

Ivica Zubac 15+ rebounds - 23/10

The Luka Doncic trade was a no-brainer, but it wasn’t a completely perfect deal for the Lakers. It’s hard to imagine a less like-for-like trade than Anthony Davis for point-guard Doncic, especially as AD had publicly called out the Lakers’ lack of centre depth ahead of the move.

Rookie coach JJ Reddick deserves credit for keeping the Lakers on course in the aftermath of that move, particularly given that they continue to excel defensively. However, there’s little Reddick can do about the Lakers’ lack of size.

The Clippers’ Ivica Zubac proved that when these two sides met on Friday, with the 7-footer grabbing 16 rebounds. He’s already averaging 12.5 for the campaign. That number can jump again in this clash.

Zubac has managed 15 rebounds or more in three of his last five games. The Lakers rank 26th in rebounding and Davis was their only player in double-figures for that category this season. The top three remaining rebounders on their roster - Doncic, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura - are on the injury report for this game. Given that, back another big night on the boards for Zubac. 

Ben Simmons over 12.5 combined points, rebounds and assists - 20/23

The buyout market tends to be one of the most overhyped parts of the NBA season, but the Clippers were able to round out their roster with 2016 top pick Ben Simmons.

Simmons had his critics in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, but there’s little doubting his ability. In his early days in LA, he’s proving an effective bench option.

Simmons can thrive on rebounds here for the same reasons as Zubac, having averaged 5.2 per game across the season. He remains a strong playmaker and the Australian has 25 assists in five games as a Clipper. 

Simmons is averaging 6.7 assists per game, taking into account his spell in Brooklyn, while his shooting efficiency is at a career high in this small sample size.

Simmons has recorded at least 15 combined points, rebounds and assists in four of his last five, so he’s good value to repeat that against a weakened Lakers side. 

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Los Angeles Lakers v Los Angeles Clippers Money line, spread, over/under

	Money Line	Spread	Over/Under
Lakers	13/10	+3.0 - 10/11	Over 220.5 10/11
Clippers	20/31	-3.0 - 10/11	Under 220.5 10/11

Under 220.5 points - 10/11

The Lakers head into this game with doubts surrounding their three main scoring threats, while the Clippers rank 22nd in the NBA in terms of their offensive rating. 

Ty Lue’s success with the Clippers this season has been due to their mean defence, which ranks fourth in the league in terms of defensive rating. The Lakers have also been impressive in that category recently, conceding the eighth fewest points per game this season.

None of this season’s three encounters between the two have featured more than 219 points and just 12 of the Clippers’ 30 away games have gone over the points line, so under 220.5 points looks like the best play on the main markets. 

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.