In ages past, the battle of the City of Angels would always favor a Kobe-led Lakers’ team, but boy have the tides turned. With only a handful of games left, the Clippers sit as the fourth seed in the Western Conference with the Lakers dead last, winning just 16 of 75 games.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Lakers did take care of Miami on Wednesday, but otherwise the team’s been able to win just a single game in its previous eight games.
Production against the spread hasn’t been any different from the Lakers. They’ve covered only two of their last 10 games while the Clippers have rebounded from a rough stretch to cover four of their last five.
WHEN THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS ARE ON OFFENSE
The Lakers are scoring just 97.7 PPG and shooting 41.6 percent from the floor, the worst percentage in the NBA. By the numbers Los Angeles struggles to score inside and out and often gets outrebounded night in and night out.
The Clippers will provide yet another challenge for the Lakers as they’re a top-10 defensive club, allowing just 100.9 PPG and ranking No. 4 in opponents shooting percentage from the floor.
That said, the Clippers have allowed at least 109 points now in back-to-back games, though the Lakers managed just 93-points against them back in January.
With Kobe dealing with injuries once again, the Lakers need to hang with the Clippers on the outside if they’re going to record an upset or at least keep this one close.
Watch to see how well D’Angelo Russell plays in particular. He had a string of great performances earlier this year, but has largely been an up-and-down performer.
Russell is fourth on the team in scoring with 13.2 PPG. His fellow guards Jordan Clarkson and Louis Williams are each scoring over 15 PPG, illustrating the importance of the backcourt.
WHEN THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS ARE ON OFFENSE
The Clippers are the sixth ranked offense in the sport, averaging 104.7 PPG and that was largely without the contributions of Blake Griffin who has finally returned to the Clippers starting lineup.
Griffin helps stabilize a Los Angeles team that was short inside without him.
The Clippers have a great matchup to rack up the points. The Lakers are a dismal defense and are allowing 106.9 PPG. They’ve also given up at least 100-points in six straight games.
In his 31-games, Griffin is averaging 22.7 PPG and adds 8.5 RPG to help stabilize a frontcourt that was way too reliant upon DeAndre Jordan whilst Griffin was out.
Jordan is a stronger defensive player than an offensive one, but he’s still scoring 12.8 PPG and shooting over 70 percent from the floor.
Inside is still the ticket for this team. They should be able to run circles around the Lakers with Chris Paul, J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford all very strong options. Paul is the scoring leader with 19.9 PPG and a double-double threat with 10 APG. Redick, on the other hand, is a very strong shooter behind the arc.
BETTING TRENDS AND MATCHUPS
The Lakers don’t really have anyone they can count on against Jordan and that’s even more obvious now with Griffin pulling attention from the likes of Julius Randle.
Roy Hibbert matches up with Jordan based on position, but he’s only scoring 6.2 PPG. Of course, his offense isn’t as important as his ability to limit Jordan. If the Lakers can take Jordan out of the game, they’ve at least got a formidable backcourt even if they don’t have the personnel to matchup with Paul or Redick.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The contest pitting the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Los Angeles Clippers will commence Tuesday, April 5, 2016, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Staples Center. The contest will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
