NBA Picks - Betting Tips: Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Clippers

NLB Staff

31.10.2024 02:15

Suns vs Clippers Prediction

As two title contenders face off in the last game off the night, the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers hope to continue building their case as top teams in the NBA. In their previous matchups, the Suns picked a big victory over a mighty Lakers squad by the score of 109 to 105, while the Clippers finished their last game with a 8-point victory over Golden State. This matchup will occur on November 1st at 8:00 A.M. IST in Ingelwood, California. Below are our key odds, top players, important injuries, and head to head matchups to figure out who could potentially win this game.

Key Betting Tips & Predictions

1. Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Clippers Moneyline Pick

We are backing the -198 moneyline for the Suns in this game as they have shown consistently this season they have had a lot of success in this, even though their spreads haven’t been similar. Given that their big three with Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker will show up once again, it might be too much offensive fire power for Los Angeles to overcome with just James Harden plus Norman Powell being their primary scorers. Even though Terrance Mann can help a lot, his one on one with Beal might make it tough and this could force the Suns to get a lot of breakaway chances down the floor. Having scored over 105 points over the past 3 matches, this trend should continue for them.

2. Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Clippers Point Spread Pick

As the Phoenix Suns come in as -5 favorites during this matchup, it is listed at 1.88. Though this is true, the one key thing to see is that the Suns have been 0-2 on the road against the spread and only hit on one of their games. Meanwhile, the Clippers have been 2-0 at home against the spread and will make this game a lot more tighter than many would expect. Taking them at the +5 would be a smart decision as their spread proves to follow a common trend of them shocking a lot of top opponents with an offensive game that no one saw coming at the beginning of the year without Kawhi Leonard.

3. Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Clippers Over/Under Pick (Total Points)

The over/under for points in this game is at 224.0 points with both offenses showing so much potential to score on a nightly basis this season. Having two guards each that can score and really facilitate the floor, both teams can easily attack the basket and shoot from mid-range with some key defenders ruled out on either side. With their 4 of their last 5 matchups going well over 225 points, a lot of similar scoring output is expected in this game as both teams have improved their inside scoring and chemistry.

Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles ClippersTop Player Props

James Harden Over 20.5 points at 1.90: As the Clippers main scorer, this should be a great offensive output for Harden as he does have a mismatch with Tyus Jones. Although Jones has been a great defender this season, James Harden’s 6” 6’ size will help him get a big chance to run through the layup and finish at the basket. With Jusuf Nurkic being at center for the Suns, Harden could easily use two dribbles and finish through him as Phoenix’s center has always had trouble with defense. Knowning this plus no Kawhi Leonard, there should be a monstrous performance for James Harden with his top scoring abilities.

Devin Booker over 24.5 points at 1.83: Knowing that the Suns have one of the best offenses, their system runs through Devin Booker as he has always been one of their most efficient scorers. Someone who is averaging 23.0 points per game, if Norman Powell has to switch on Kevin Durant, Booker will get a lot of good looks as Derrick Jones Jr. seems to take an early release when trying to block. If this switch keeps happening, there will be open shots for Booker from deep and with Tyus Jones play-making ability, he should continue having a high scoring value.

Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Clippers Injury News & Impact

Phoenix Suns Injuries: With Josh Okogie potentially going to be out due to a hamstring injury, this Suns squad will miss one of their most athletic backup guards against a very deep Clippers roster. Although it is not much of a loss on the stats sheet, his aggressive mentality to rebound and shoot from all over the field could be a key loss given that Grayson Allen will have shoot more threes than normal.

Los Angeles Clippers Injuries: As Mo Bamba has been ruled out with a knee injury, the Clippers will miss his ability to rebound as a backup to Ivica Zubac. Someone who averaged 4.2 rebounds and showed aggression in the paint, he will be a huge loss against a very big Suns team. With Kawhi Leonard once again out, his knee injury could hurt them on the defensive end as he could be someone that would control Devin Booker’s game during this matchup. Now that Norman Powell has an increased role, this game will end up being much different.

Head-to-Head Trends

As these teams have faced off once this season already, the Suns won 116-113 in a nail-bitter on opening night. Although this is true, Los Angeles has maintained a 3 to 2 lead in vcitories over Phoenix during their previous 5 matchups. With both teams hitting over 100 points each expect for once, this will once again be a closer game as 4 of the past 5 have had a margin of less than 17 points. With Phoenix being 2-0 against the spread in their last two games against Los Angeles and averaging 120 points per game, it could be another great offensive night for them.

Betting Insights & Public Trends

Looking at the betting trends from public analysts, we could see that 66.4% of the betters are taking the Suns to win this game.

Final Prediction

As the Clippers and Suns have both been very strong units on both sides of the ball, many would anticipate Phoenix to blowout Los Angeles since they are without Kawhi Leonard. But, the game of James Harden has taken a step closer to his old form and he has been able to dominate by scoring plus passing to his wing shooters with ease. In this game, an athletic guard like Tyus Jones will have a great contest against him on the defensive end as both their strengths will be a big part of this game. With Norman Powell also having a lot of defensive prowess for the Clippers, he can really attack Devin Booker even though on the other end the Suns shooting guard will dominate. The biggest difference in this game will be Kevin Durant’s huge size against Derrick Jones Jr. which will help him continue being one of the most dominant scorers. Given that he can shoot from three and drive into the lane, his abilities will help the Suns have a key lead in this game. In addition, Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neal off the bench will add a lot of three-point shooting and rebounding, while Amir Coffey will try his best to guard both of them. If the Clippers bench with Kevin Porter Jr. and Kai Jones replacing the injured Mo Bamba make a huge difference, this game could easily turn the other way.

Our Prediction: The Phoenix Suns should win this game, but the Clippers will win the spread at 5.5 and the total/under for combined will go over 224.0 points.