Clippers vs Suns Game 5 Odds, Picks, and Predictions: Booker Continues to Crush L.A.

What was touted as a must-watch series has been riddled with injuries, and now the Phoenix Suns are one win away from advancing. One of the focal points of Phoenix's success has been Devin Booker, and our NBA picks are looking at him tonight.

Apr 25, 2023 • 17:27 ET • 4 min read

The Phoenix Suns will try to wrap up their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night when they host the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 at the Footprint Center. 

Phoenix extended its series lead to 3-1 with a 112-100 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday. The Clips will try to recapture the magic they found in Game 1 when they beat the Suns in Phoenix 115-110 for their only win in the series thus far.

PHX is a big favorite to finish off the series on Tuesday, so bettors may have to look away from the spread and moneyline markets for value here. We’ll break down the entire matchup in our free NBA picks for the Clippers vs. Suns on April 25.

Clippers vs Suns Game 5 best odds

Clippers vs Suns Game 5 picks and predictions

Devin Booker has taken his game to a new level in this series. The 26-year-old set a career high in points per game this year in the regular season, averaging 27.8 per game. Yet that was only a preview of what he would accomplish against the Clippers.

The Phoenix Suns have essentially let Booker take control of the offense, and he has responded by averaging 34.8 points per game in the series. He is putting up nearly 23 shots per game, and has scored at least 30 points in each of the last three contests in this series — all wins for Phoenix.

That’s a good sign that the Suns won’t be changing their tactics heading into Tuesday’s Game 5. With Phoenix wanting to close out the series at home, we can expect another high-usage game for Booker.

While Booker has been scoring at an astounding rate, that’s only the start of how he’s helped pace the Phoenix offense in this series. Booker is also averaging 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game against the Clippers. In each of his last two games, Book has grabbed at least six rebounds and hasn't dished out fewer than three assists. 

Booker’s best all-around performance likely came in Saturday’s win. The shooting guard merely put up 30 points, but he complemented that with nine rebounds and seven assists in 41 minutes of action. While Kevin Durant, Deandre Ayton, and others are playing important roles in this series, Booker is the focal point, and the Clippers don’t seem to have an answer.

Those numbers make me want to back Booker on a prop bet in Game 5. The obvious place to look is on his point total, but I think the books have properly adjusted to his increased postseason role. Most sites now have his Over/Under at 30.5 points, a number that sits halfway between his regular season and playoff scoring average. 

With that in mind, let’s try to take advantage of Booker’s overall performance instead. The total on his combined points, rebounds, and assists is at 41.5. It’s possible D Book could hit the Over based on his scoring alone. If he instead works to distribute the ball and is active on the boards, he could get there even if he scores just Under 30 points, and it’s hard to imagine Booker going far lower than that.

While the scoring prop has caught up to what’s going on in this series, the combined total is still low enough for us to find some value. I’m taking the Over on Booker’s total points, rebounds, and assists.

My best bet: Devin Booker Over 41.5 points + rebounds + assists (-111 at FanDuel)

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Clippers vs Suns Game 5 spread analysis

Phoenix opened tonight’s game as an 11.5-point favorite. The public is backing the favorite, pushing the line to 12.5 points at most books as of noon on Tuesday. Almost all sites have the odds balanced at that number, with -110 offered on both sides.

The teams have split the first four games against the spread. The outright winners have taken three of four games, with the Clippers also covering as eight-point underdogs in a 129-124 victory in Game 3. 

This is by far the largest spread of the series so far. Perhaps this is partially because the Clippers have confirmed that Kawhi Leonard won’t be able to play in Game 5 due to a knee injury. The Suns have consistently been about an eight-point favorite in the series so far, and it’s telling that that number didn’t change when the series shifted to Los Angeles — at the same time that Leonard could no longer play.

The Clippers are severely undermanned in this game, but it’s hard to lay anyone 12.5 points in an NBA playoff game. Russell Westbrook should be able to at least be able to keep L.A. in the game, even if he can’t beat the Suns on his own. I’m leaning towards the Clippers +12.5 points tonight.

Clippers vs Suns Game 5 Over/Under analysis

The total on tonight’s game is 224 points, and that number hasn’t varied much since opening. While you can now find an Over/Under of 223.5 at a handful of sites, 224 flat is still the consensus total, with -110 odds on both sides of the market at most sportsbooks.

The absence of Leonard impacts this total in two ways. While he is a capable scorer, he’s also a key part of the Clippers defense. With Leonard out of the lineup, several defense matchups become much harder assignments for Los Angeles, and it helps explain how well Booker has been able to play for the Suns.

In a small sample size, it’s hard to say what the ultimate impact of the injury will be. With Leonard in the lineup, both games produced at least 225 points. Game 3 (without Kawhi around) was the highest-scoring game yet in the series — with 253 points scored between the two teams — while Game 4 came back down to a 212 total. 

I’m still inclined to think that in general, this will be a higher-scoring game without Leonard using his length and size to bother a variety of Phoenix players throughout the night. I’m leaning towards the Over in Game 5, as it’s likely that Game 4 was an aberration compared to the rest of the series. 

Clippers vs Suns betting trend to know

Booker has totaled at least 46 points, rebounds, and assists in each of the last three games in this series. Find more NBA betting trends for Clippers vs. Suns.

Clippers vs Suns Game 5 game info

Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
Date: Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Tip-off: 10:00 p.m. ET
TV: TNT

Clippers vs Suns Game 5 key injuries

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