Back from the All-Star break the battle for L.A. in primetime slot on ESPN. With roughly only 21 games remaining for all teams it will be a sprint for both teams to make it into the playoffs. Lakers are 27-31 and are sitting in the 9th position in the Western conference. Clippers are only one spot ahead sitting on 8th with a record of 30-31. Both these teams will be limping into tonights game with expectations for both these teams way higher then this play-in spot they find themselves in. For the Lakers, the problem has been injuries and working together as a basketball team. For the Clippers, the problems have been staying heathy and rebounding the ball. With both these teams dealing with injuries to their respective star power just getting into the playoffs at full strength will be a huge win.
Lakers
The Lakers are expectations this season are winning a championship anything short will be considered a failure. Lebron James is that good that the expectations are rightfully placed that high. Anthony Davis went down recently with an ankle injury that is reported to be a 4 week recovery time. Russell Westbrook hasn’t been the pickup that the Lakers had hope it would been. Lebron and Russel just haven’t found their rhythm together offensively and the frustration is visible at times. Currently, rumors around the league is that Lebron has basically taken over the General Manager duties telling who the front office should trade for. Basically, it sounds like Lebron is the star player, head coach, and now the General Manager. Lebron’s nickname King James is suiting nowadays.
Clippers
So far, the Clippers have been treading water without their two star players most of the year. Kawhi Leonard hasn’t played a single game this year. Expectations are that Leonard will miss the entire season with that partially torn ACL. Paul George went down recently with an elbow injury. Some reports have George coming back for a playoff run and others have him out for the rest of the season. The good news is Tyronn Lue has been keeping the guys that are healthy fired up all year. Clippers came back from multiple 20 point deficits this year and even a 35 point deficit against the Wizards. That being said, sometimes the Clippers lack of effort has been obvious, especially on the defensive rebounding side. Some of that has to do with not being big enough inside to go up and get those rebounds.
Preview for Tonights Game
Lebron is listed as day-to-day, as he has been for most of the season, but I would go out on a limb and say he plays tonight. There will be no Anthony Davis tonight, Kawhi Leonard, or Paul George. Look for Reggie Jackson for the Clippers to set the intensity tone for the game early. Luke Kennard can get hot quickly as he demonstrated in the three point shooting contest. For the Lakers, it’s always about how Lebron is feeling and what type of intensity he will bring. in Lebron’s last game before the All-Star break he took over that game and demonstrated why he is King James. Other times, Lebron can look frustrated and out of sync with his teammates, especially Russell Westbrook.
Betting Nuggets
The game total for tonight is at 221.5 and the Lakers are favored by 2 points. The old saying “Lakers never cover” might pay off tonight. Lakers ATS (against the spread) record is 26-32. That is pretty close to their straight up record. Clippers are getting +115 in some betting sites but on FanDuel they are -110. Make sure you are checking out different sites and always getting the best number you can. With this close of a game spread I would personally rather pick Clippers straight up to win rather than those +2 points. The game total is bit high for me, sitting at 221.5 but then again nether of these teams pride themselves and being really good a defense. I wouldn’t touch that over/under but it is always more fun to bet the over because you will be rooting for more points. Make sure you are betting responsibly.
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