The Los Angeles Clippers are making a push for a top-six seed in the Western Conference, and they’ll play the New York Knicks for the second time this season with Jalen Brunson (ankle) out of the lineup.
New York is coming off a win on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks, and it has stayed afloat despite injuries to Brunson and Miles McBride.
Meanwhile, the Clippers dropped a close game at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. L.A. has been one of the best teams in the NBA to bet on at home, but it’s a different story on the road.
The Clippers are just 14-21 against the spread on the road this season. Can they pick up a win against a shorthanded Knicks team on the second night of a back-to-back?
With a ton on the line in the playoffs picture, let’s break down odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for this matchup.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
Moneyline
Total
Since coming back from knee and hamstring injuries, Norman Powell is struggling for the Clippers. He’s scored just 41 points across four games, failing to clear this number in each of them.
Over this four-game stretch, Powell is averaging 10.3 points per game while shooting 35.9 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3 on less than 10 field goal attempts per game.
The Knicks have been top five in the league in defensive rating in their last 10 games, so I’m not buying Powell having a big game tonight.
With Brunson out, Karl-Anthony Towns is being asked to carry a bigger load on the offensive end as of late.
He’s also shot the 3-ball well, knocking down multiple 3-pointers in eight of his nine games since Brunson went down. Over that stretch, Towns is shooting 43.8 percent from 3 on 5.3 attempts per game.
The Knicks and Clippers combined for just 200 points in their last meeting, which was the second night of a back-to-back and New York’s first game without Jalen Brunson since he suffered an ankle injury.
However, I think this total is too low in New York on Wednesday night. This season, the OVER is 8-3 in the Knicks’ 11 games that have been the second night of a back-to-back, and New York’s offense has looked a little bit better as of late, scoring 128 points on Tuesday and at least 120 points in three of its last four games.
The Clippers are rolling on offense right now, posting the No. 4 offensive rating in the NBA over their last 10 games.
While Los Angeles is also an elite defensive team, the Knicks have not been for most of the season, although they have improved over their last 10 matchups.
Without Brunson for the last nine games, the Knicks have combined for 218 or more points five times. I think this number is a little too low against a surging Clippers team tonight.
Pick: OVER 217.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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