The LA Clippers and the Lakers go head-to-head in a Western Conference showdown at the Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night. Both franchises will be looking for bragging rights over their local neighbors, and in our latest NBA betting picks, we tell you who will win.
In the last battle of LA, the Lakers were the team who came out on top, defeating the Clippers by three points earlier this month. At the time, the Clippers were on a five-match winning streak and would have expected to keep the winning run going against a Lakers team on a four-match losing streak.
Since the matchup on January 7th, the Clippers have won five out of their next six. As for the Lakers, they have won four and lost three.
When it comes to betting to win the Western Conference, it’s the Clippers who the best NBA betting sites believe are most likely to dethrone the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets lead the betting at +200. And if anybody was having any doubts about Denver this season, then they may need to have a rethink. Denver has just ended the Celtics’ unbeaten home record, with Jamal Murray (35 points) and Nikola Jokic (34) leading the visitors to a 102-100 win at TD Garden last weekend.
Second in the betting behind Denver is the LA Clippers at +400. The Phoenix Suns are next at +600, with the Thunder (+650) and the Timberwolves (+700) following closely behind. The Lakers are next in the betting, out at +1400.
Moving onto the latest betting to win the NBA Championship, and despite suffering their first home-court defeat of the season, the Boston Celtics still lead the way with the best NBA finals betting sites at +300.
Second in the betting is the Denver Nuggets at +425. The Nuggets were +450 last week, so ending Boston’s unbeaten home record has resulted in Denver’s odds getting slightly trimmed.
The Milwaukee Bucks are next in the betting at +500, with the LA Clippers at +800. All sitting on odds of +1200 are the 76ers, the Thunder, and the Suns. The Timberwolves are next at +1400. And if you think the Lakers can pull off a shock Championship win, LeBron and his teammates are +2500.
These two franchises met at the Crypto.com Arena earlier this month in a designated home match for the Lakers. The Clippers gave away a 3.5-point start on the handicap on the night. On that occasion, the Lakers came out on top, winning a hard-fought match 106-103.
More recently, against the in-form Oklahoma City Thunder seven days ago at this venue, the Clippers were -210 and giving away 5.5 points on the handicap spread. This time, the Clippers managed the win, defeating the Thunder 128-117.
For tonight’s match, the Lakers are even bigger underdogs. The best NBA betting sites have the Lakers at +310 to beat the Clippers, who are themselves at -380.
On the handicap spread, the Lakers are getting a 9-point start. To win with the start, the Lakers are -110. To win and cover the spread, the Clippers are -110.
On the total points spread, 229.5 is the line set by the best NBA betting sites. Both over and under 229.5 is -110. Below are more options from different sportsbooks on our NBA betting table. You can read more about the bookmakers we have used on our online sportsbook reviews page.
| LA Clippers vs. LA Lakers |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clippers | -380 | -380 | -380 |
| Lakers | +310 | +310 | +310 |
| Clippers (-9) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Lakers (+9) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over 229.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 229.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
The LA Clippers are 8-2 in their last ten matches and on a winning streak of two. As we pointed out earlier, they have won five of their last six, a run of matches that includes wins over the Suns (138-111) and the Thunder (128-117). The one loss came away at the Timberwolves (109-105), and in their most recent match, they defeated the Nets 125-114 on Sunday.
Things haven’t been so good for the LA Lakers since their inaugural win in the NBA In-Season Tournament.
In their last ten, the Lakers are 5-5, and they are on a winning streak of one. Overall, the Lakers have a disappointing 22-22 record this season.
Recent defeats have come against the Nets (130-112) and the Jazz (132-125). Their wins have come against the Thunder (112-105), the Mavericks (127-110), and most recently the Trail Blazers (134-110) on Sunday.
Given the Lakers defeated the Clippers by three points earlier this month, a 9-point gap on the handicap initially sounds big. But this is down to recent form. And the recent form is hugely in favor of the Clippers.
Quite often, recent form in any sport can go out of the window in Derby matches. And that looks like the Lakers’ best chance of victory here.
But, we are following the form for our NBA betting pick. The Clippers are playing well and will want to cash in on this good form with a statement win. We feel the Clippers will cover the spread, and we are also backing over 229.5 on the total points market.
Check below for our list of the top sportsbooks where you can wager online:
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
Read Dean's ProfileAsk Dean about this guide:
