The Clippers (44-22) will face off against their city rivals the Lakers (37-28) as they hope to jump ahead of the third-place Denver Nuggets with a win. The Lakers, still without LeBron James but seeing Anthony Davis return the court recently, just snapped a three-game losing skid with a narrow win over the Nuggets on Monday in a much-needed victory. Davis put in a 25-point performance, his second-highest total since coming back from injury on April 22nd. That brings the Lakers to 3-7 in their last 10 games as they’ve slipped down to sixth place in the Western Conference.
Lakers vs. Clippers, 10:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Pick ATS: Clippers -8
While LeBron officially made his return on April 30th against the Kings, he was forced to leave the very next game and hasn’t seen the floor since, and is still expected to be out for a couple more games with that ankle issue. The Clippers have fared well, winning six of their last 10 outings and currently sit within a stone’s throw of third place. The Clips are 20-14 against the spread this season at home, and while they’re heavily favored here, it’s not without good reason as the Lakers have proven they struggle against formidable opponents without LeBron on the court. Davis will have to have a stellar night while picking up some help from elsewhere if they want to have a shot at beating the Clippers.
Player Prop: Paul George O23.5 points (-134)
While the Lakers have proven to be a strong defensive team, George has also proven he can score against the best of them. He averaged 27.5 points in April, only scoring single digits once. He’s scored 20-plus in his last three games straight, and just had a pair of back-to-back 33-point games in April against the Trail Blazers and Rockets.
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