The Clippers are hosting the Nets on Sunday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Los Angeles is favored by 8.5 points and this game carries a total of 210.5 points.
Let’s dive into my preview and pick for the game.
Clippers vs. Nets preview, prediction
The Clippers have been one of the best teams in the NBA as of late, after a disastrous start to the season. Los Angeles has won 14 of it’s last 17 games and the club ranks fourth in net rating during this time. The Clippers are still only 20-24 for the season, making them the No.10 seed in the Western Conference, so every game remains crucial for the squad right now.
Kawhi Leonard and James Harden have both been great this season, leading Los Angeles with 28.1 and 25.8 PPG, respectively. Leonard is questionable tonight with a knee contusion, but he played through the same designation this past Thursday vs. the Lakers and posted 24 points across 25.5 minutes in the 112-104 win for the Clippers.
Three days later, it’s hard to imagine Leonard doesn’t suit up again tonight, especially with Los Angeles not playing again until Tuesday. The Clippers have won five in a row with Leonard active, one of which was a 121-105 victory over the Nets in the Brooklyn on January 9th. This time around, the Clippers will be the home team, which is bad news for the Nets, as Los Angeles has only lost once in it’s last 10 home games.
While the Clippers have been trending up, Brooklyn has been on an opposite trajectory. The Nets have only won once in their last 10 and for the season, Brooklyn is 12-31 and ranks 25th in net rating. Michael Porter Jr. has been keeping this team afloat, averaging a career-high 25.4 PPG while shooting 48% from the field, but when he faced Los Angeles just a few weeks ago, the Clippers held Porter Jr. to 18 points on 35% shooting.
Especially if Leonard plays as expected, Porter Jr. should have a down game by his standards in this tough matchup. The Nets always lack offensive threats after Porter Jr. and Sunday is even worse than usual, with Noah Clowney (back), Cam Thomas (ankle) and Nolan Traore (illness) all out. In Brooklyn’s double overtime loss to the Celtics on Friday, Traore had the breakout performance of his rookie season, scoring 21 points. With Egor Denim, Teranace Mann and Ziare Williams attempting to help Porter Jr., the Nets should struggle mightily to score Sunday and this can has the potential to get out of hand fast.
Clippers vs. Nets pick, best bet
The Clippers are the better team, are at home and have an extra day of rest in their favor. Los Angeles should secure an easy win over the Nets and cover this 8.5-point spread.
In the new year, the Clippers are 8-4 ATS.
