The Los Angeles Lakers will try to turn their season around and start a second-half push when they host the rival Los Angeles Clippers in a key Western Conference game on Friday at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. Missing the injured Anthony Davis (ankle) and with the Russell Westbrook experiment struggling, the Lakers (27-31) are mired below .500 and in ninth place in the Western Conference standings. They are in danger of having to compete in the play-in tournament for a shot at the playoffs. Meanwhile the Clippers (30-31) sit in eighth place in the West standings, 1½ games ahead of the Lakers. They remain without Paul George (elbow), Kawhi Leonard (knee) and Norman Powell (foot) indefinitely.
Tipoff is at 10 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Lakers as 1.5-point favorites in the latest Lakers vs. Clippers odds, while the over-under is 221.5. Before making any Clippers vs. Lakers picks or NBA predictions, you need to see what SportsLine's advanced computer simulation model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 69-41 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning almost $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Lakers vs. Clippers, and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Clippers vs. Lakers:
- Lakers vs. Clippers spread: Lakers -1.5
- Lakers vs. Clippers over-under: 221.5 points
- Lakers vs. Clippers money line: Lakers -125, Clippers +105
- LAL: LeBron James ranks third in the NBA in scoring (29.1 points per game)
- LAC: The Clippers rank fourth in the league in 3-point percentage (36.3)
Why the Lakers can cover
The Lakers are one of the most accurate shooting teams in the NBA. They are shooting 46.6 percent from the field, which ranks seventh in the NBA. By contrast, the Clippers are shooting 45.5 percent, which is 21st.
In addition, LeBron James is having one of the best seasons of his career. The four-time NBA MVP is averaging 29.1 points per game, which is his highest average since the 2009-10 season with Cleveland. Only three times has James averaged more points over the course of a season. Also, his field goal percentage of 52.2 is the sixth best of his career. He's officially listed as questionable (knee) for this one, but most expect him to play.
Why the Clippers can cover
The Clippers have dominated the recent series against their rivals. The Clippers have won the last five meetings between the teams and haven't lost to the Lakers since March 2020. The streak includes two Clippers victories this season, with the latest being a 111-110 win on Feb. 3.
In addition, the Clippers face a Lakers squad that has been struggling mightily. LeBron & Co. have gone 6-12 in their last 18 games, dropping from the sixth seed in the West to the ninth. Point guard Russell Westbrook, in particular, has struggled, averaging just 15.9 points a game during that stretch.
How to make Lakers vs. Clippers picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, predicting a combined 217 points scored. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the model's Clippers vs. Lakers pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Clippers vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Lakers vs. Clippers spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
