NBA Betting Picks – Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers Christmas Day

The Western Conference favorites will meet for the second time this season when they tipoff on Christmas day, and one team will end a losing streak. The Los Angeles Lakers sit atop the conference, but their lead has become smaller after losing three in a row. The Los Angeles Clippers have dropped three of their last five games after a setback in Oklahoma City on Sunday night in Paul George’s return. Both teams were hampered by the absence of superstars with LeBron sitting out for the Lakers and Kawhi Leonard not playing in OKC. There’s a good chance both players are back on the court giving NBA fans a nice Christmas present.  The line on this game will be available here.

Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers

Date and Time: Wednesday, December 25, 2019, 8 p.m. ET

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

Opening NBA Odds: Check Back Later

Clippers at Lakers TV Coverage: ABC

Odds Analysis

Both teams have an end game so they aren’t going to get worked up over a mini slump in December. You expected some regression by the Lakers, who won 24 of 26 games prior to their skid that included losses against top East clubs Indiana and Milwaukee on the road, and a Sunday disaster to Denver without James.

While they have the best record in the West and the second-best ledger in the NBA at 24-6, the Lakers are just 16-14 against the spread after failing to cover the closing line in their last five. The Lakers were 3.5-point favorites in the season opener against the Clippers, who were playing without Paul George, and lost outright 112-102.

We’re unlikely to see a line until there is some clarity on the injury front. James missed his first game of the season Sunday with a sore rib muscle. Leonard also sat for the Clips, who were upended in Oklahoma City for their third loss in five games. The Clips were also without Patrick Beverley on Sunday and without two of their best defenders they let an 18-point lead disintegrate in the 118-112 loss. They cashed the over for a third straight game and for the fifth time in the six contests.

Clippers

With an eye toward the future, the Clippers better not forget about the present. They are 22-10 at this point, good for fourth in the West, but their mini-slump has raised a lot of questions. They had won four in a row before an unsettling loss to the Bulls started the slide. There was also a home loss to Houston and Sunday’s debacle. In between those defeats were resounding wins over Phoenix by 21 points and at San Antonio by 25 points. So, which Clippers team shows up Wednesday?

We could chalk up the OKC loss to emotion. Leonard was out with a sore knee and George made his first visit to his old stomping ground. He scored 18 points but was only 6 of 17 from the field. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who the Clips traded to acquire George, went off for a career-best 32 points in what was for sure an emotional game for him. Beverley’s injury forced Lou Williams into the starting lineup, messing with the team’s lethal bench. When things return to normal, the Clips have the deeper team, which is a reason why they are a contender.

Lakers

As hot as the Lakers were you almost expected them to cool off. And it’s not like they lost to a bunch of bottom-feeders. Road losses at Indiana and NBA-best Milwaukee were tight, which shouldn’t rattle the faithful. Denver is no slouch either, and playing without James allowed the Nuggets to post an impressive 128-104 victory. The Lakers hadn’t experienced a losing streak of any kind until dropping the last three and we’ll see how they respond against their neighbors from down the hall.

With LeBron out Anthony Davis was the main figure. He dropped 32 on the Nuggets hitting 13 of 23 shots with 11 boards. But you could almost feel a change in the Lakers. They routed Utah Portland and Minnesota by a combined average of nearly 22 points then the games got closer. They beat Miami and Atlanta by a combined eight points, failing to cover the spread prior to their slide. The Lakers were one of the best defensive teams in the league until yielding 111 points to the Bucks and 128 to the Nuggets.

Bet Clippers at Lakers at BookMaker.eu

This is definitely a wait-and-see game with LeBron and Kawhi listed as day-to-day. There won’t be a line until some clarity on the injury front, but rest assured this will be an intense battle between two good teams that want to show the other up. I expect the Lakers to pick up their defensive intensity after getting rolled by Denver, and that should keep this game relatively low scoring giving value to the under. And I like the Lakers to respond after losing three in a row.

NBA Score Prediction: Lakers 109, Clippers 105

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com