Perhaps no surging team is more under the radar than the Los Angeles Clippers. Kawhi Leonard’s renaissance has played no small part in this.
When the former Finals MVP returned to the lineup, the Clippers were 19-15 and in a large shuffle of mediocre Western Conference teams. Now they find themselves 47-32 and in the driver’s seat for the fourth seed in the West. For the mathematically challenged at home, that’s a 28-17 record since Leonard’s season debut. They’re only heating up as they develop more cohesion, as evidenced by a 15-4 record in March.
As hot as they are, the Clippers caught a break tonight against the Houston Rockets. Ime Udoka’s squad clinched the second overall seed as of last night and will rest every starter not named Jalen Green as a result. Can the Clippers keep the good times rolling over a Rockets squad resting on their laurels? Or will they get complacent and drop a crucial matchup for playoff seeding?
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Los Angeles is a 10.5-point home favorite for this matchup. Let’s dig into the best Leonard props for this contest.
Best Kawhi Leonard Prop Bets
Over 23.5 Points Scored (-110)
These Rockets earned their rest. A 15-2 record over their last 17 clinched the 2 spot and the important distinction of facing a play-in squad. With everyone else in the West not on the Thunder sprinting for positioning over this last week of the season, Houston will be glad to take a night off.
The Clippers won’t have that luxury. Coming into the second half of a back-to-back, they let the tanking Spurs linger far too long in last night’s contest. With road matchups remaining in Sacramento and Golden State, this should be their easiest win amongst the three remaining games. I’d expect these Clips to come out determined to put this one to bed early.
Kawhi Leonard will be at the forefront of that. His last 5 games played have all come against sub-.500 teams, and these Rockets will probably look like one sans their starters. Despite playing just a shade over 30 minutes per game in those contests, he’s averaging a smooth 25.8 PPG. He won’t even need a full complement of minutes tonight to be productive. The Klaw will come out swinging and put these reserve Rockets to bed.
