Clippers vs Lakers Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Lake Show a No Go on Wednesday

The latest James Harden trade saga is finally over. Now a new drama begins as we find out just how good this revamped Los Angeles Clippers team can be. The Clippers' first test is no small feat, as they square off against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at Crypto.com Arena. 

Whether Harden suits up or not is an open question, but even without him the Clips have been playing at a high level. A healthy Paul George and Kawhi Leonard is a terrifying prospect, particularly as the Lakers are looking a little long in the tooth to begin the 2023-24 campaign. NBA odds favor the purple and gold in this one, but I wouldn't be so sure about that.

My NBA picks for the Clippers vs. Lakers believe preseason expectations and a flood of public bets have created an opportunity to bet on Kawhi and company tonight. 

Be sure to also check out our favorite prop picks from Lebron James odds!

Clippers vs Lakers odds

Clippers vs Lakers predictions

James Harden is a Los Angeles Clipper.

Well, almost. Technically the trade has not been consummated at the time of writing, and it’s unclear if there are temporary obstacles that will prevent Harden from playing in tonight's game. While the playmaking and shooting would of course be a boon to this Los Angeles Clippers squad, I’m already bullish on their chances in this matchup without him.

Integrating Harden might be a bit of a process and the Clippers are rolling right now. Through four games, they own the best point differential in the league at +18.5 per Cleaning the Glass. 

While they haven’t played a murderer's row of teams, they’re still drastically outperforming oddsmakers' expectations. They have the second-highest spread differential leaguewide of +9.4, and all you can do in this league is beat the teams in front of you.

Last night when they played an Orlando Magic team with playoff aspirations, the Clippers survived one of the unluckiest shooting performances from their star trio I can remember. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook opened the game collectively shooting 1-for-18 from the field. But they steadied themselves in the second half, locked in on defense, and ended up blowing out the Magic and resting their starters most of the fourth quarter.

Because the Clippers are so often struck down by the injury gods, it’s easy to forget this team is legit when they have all their guys together. This is the No. 1 defense through four games, and the No. 7 offense.

The Los Angeles Lakers have not looked quite as sharp. After an alleged LeBron James minutes restriction saw him held to 25 minutes in their opener, an increasingly desperate Darvin Hamm has had James dig deep into his energy reserve in every game since to eke out their .500 record. The Lakers have a slightly negative point differential and were lucky to beat the Magic on Tuesday night behind the hot shooting of D’Angelo Russell. 

Overall, the Lake Show looked a little slow outside of Anthony Davis. LeBron has been excellent in spurts but is showing clear signs of age-related decline. Free agent acquisition Gabe Vincent has not shot the ball well, Jared Vanderbilt is yet to play, Rui Hachimura looked bad before he also went out, and Austin Reaves odds bettors have been left severely disappointed

The Reaves drop-off is the most critical. Most optimism was tied to the leap he made as a two-way perimeter player, capable of both running pick and roll and shooting off the dribble. So far that Reaves is just a memory, with him averaging 10 points per game on 33.3% from the field. It’s quite possible that like many other Team USA FIBA participants, Reaves doesn’t quite have his legs under him just yet.

And that’s a problem because the Clippers are clicking. The only reason I’m not taking the moneyline is because this is a back-to-back for the Clips, but as is this line has moved five points since it opened and I’ll happily take them at +6.5.

My best bet: Clippers +6.5 (-125 at BetVictor)

Clippers vs Lakers same-game parlay

Clippers +5.5

Under 226

Russell Over 14.5 pts

50% boost available

+700 +1,050 at DraftKings

The Clippers have been the best of the best on the defensive end so far this season, posting a 100.8 defensive rating through four games. That is nearly four points lower than the second-placed Magic, and more than enough incentive to take the Under. Other sportsbooks are listing this total at 3.5 points lower than this, so I’m happy to take the extra breathing room.

Russell has been steadily coming on since the season opener and is averaging 17.5 points despite shooting just 30.4% from three so far. While Reaves is not 100%, Darvin Hamm is entrusting Russell to assert himself over the offense and even close out games. With so few sources of reliable offense on the team right now, “Dlo” is a good bet to stay productive on Wednesday. 

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Clippers vs Lakers spread and Over/Under analysis

The Lakers opened between -1.5 and -2.5 point favorites for Wednesday’s Battle of L.A., and that has risen sharply as high as -6.5 at some sportsbooks. The Lakers were expected to be the better team by most models this year and have the benefit of a rest advantage, so, naturally, this line has shifted further in their favor.

But the Lakers are also the biggest public money team in the NBA, and this is an inner-city grudge match. Did the fact of the Lakers' rest advantage suddenly appear on the schedule last night? Obviously not. 

There was just a wave of public money that forced oddsmakers to shift the line as much as five points to compensate. When a line moves this much, you’re getting free points to go against the grain, and in this instance, you can do so while backing the team that’s been far superior to open the season. The Clippers have been excellent, while the Lakers are 0-4 against the spread to start the year.

While it is a back-to-back, the Clippers played a low-stress fourth quarter last night that saw their main guys max out at about 32 minutes. Even if Harden isn’t ready on Wednesday, the Clips should have more than enough to cover.

The total has seen less consistent fluctuation. It opened anywhere from 226.5 to 227.5 and some books are still offering it at those numbers. But at other oddsmakers, it has dipped as low as 222.5.

The Lakers' offense has looked stagnant at times, and they’re too reliant on Russell making off-the-dribble threes to my liking. With Reaves and some of the key role players underperforming, the Lakers have seen the Under cash in three of their four games so far. The Clippers for their part have been demons defensively. They’re pressuring the ball and Westbrook and George have been racking up steals.

Clippers vs Lakers betting trend to know

The Lakers are 0-4 ATS this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Clippers vs Lakers.

Clippers vs Lakers game info

Clippers vs Lakers latest injuries

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