by
• Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
• Wednesday, February 28 at 10 p.m. ET
• Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California
There are bragging rights on the line whenever the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers face off. These two teams are Western Conference powerhouses, with a ton of talent on both offense and defense. As things are looking, both teams could be on their way to the postseason down the road. That’s why the next showdown will be quite exciting. With that said, the Clippers are favored over the Lakers in a Wednesday night battle.
It’s been a bit of a different year for both of these teams. Starting with the Lakers, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the ones leading the charge, but this team is quite inconsistent. The Lakers did win the in-season tournament and they have a bit of confidence now that the second half of the season is here, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they’re 31-28 on the year. With that record, they’re in ninth place in the Western Conference standings.
| Clippers vs Lakers odds |  |  |  |
| Clippers to win | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Lakers to win | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over 220 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 220 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
If the season ended today, the Lakers would be on their way to the play-in tournament for the postseason. The same can’t be said for the Clippers, as they’re 37-19 on the season. The Clippers are in fourth place out West and they have seen their NBA betting odds skyrocket in recent weeks. Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Paul George are looking like superstars and that’s going to be the case for the rest of the campaign.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Clippers have -110 NBA betting odds. The Lakers hold +125 betting odds and they’re not going to back down from this challenge. It will be on James and Davis to step up, but something tells us that Leonard, Harden and George are going to knock down shots from all over the hardwood. With all of that said, we’re going with the Clippers as our pick.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/V8HdCqTuQH
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 26, 2024
The Clippers hold the third-best Finals betting odds
While things have been a bit rough at times for the Lakers, the same surely can’t be said for the other team in town, as the Clippers hold the third-best Finals betting odds. With their impressive record and George/Leonard playing so well, there’s a legit chance we could see the Clippers go on a deep run in the postseason and potentially make their way to the Finals. This would be a dream come true for so many people in California.
As great as George and Harden have been, there’s no question that Leonard is the straw that stirs the drink for the organization. Thus far this season, Leonard, who previously won a title with the Raptors, is scoring more than 20 points per game. He’s also great passing the ball and reeling in rebounds. With all of his experience too, Leonard is going to be crucial for this team the rest of the way and his health is also quite important.
Kawhi Leonard on the reason why he’s more available this season:
“Not tearing my ACL and not tearing my meniscus.”
(via @joeylinn_) pic.twitter.com/Gd1qTf6as4
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 26, 2024
“If the league is trying to mock what I did with the Raptors, it should stop, because I was injured during that whole year,” Leonard said on previous injuries he had to deal with early on in his career. “I work out every day in the summertime to play the game, not to sit out and watch others play. No league policy is helping me to play more games.”
Right now, the Clippers own +500 NBA Finals betting odds, which is behind only the Celtics and Nuggets at the top of the list. Boston is No. 1 and Denver is No. 2, but the Clippers are right in the hunt and fans all over the state think they’ll have what it takes to surprise a lot of people in the league. It remains to be seen if that will be the case or not, but the Clippers are playing with a ton of swagger. It will be interesting to see just how far they’ll be able to go once the playoffs do get here.
The over/under for Clippers wins this season is set at 55.5
As NBA fans get ready for the final stretch of the regular season, keep in mind that the over/under for Clippers wins this season is set at 55.5. With the Clippers being at 37-19 on the year, that means they’re 19 wins away from hitting the over, but you never know how the end of the season might go down. The thing here is that the Clippers still have a great chance of pushing for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the playoffs. Home-court advantage throughout would be a dream for them.
However, reaching that point is going to be easier said than done. In order for the Clippers to be in a spot to snag that position late in the regular season, they’ll have to catch fire at the right time. While it’s totally up in the air if they’ll be able to leap the teams ahead of them, we think they do have a great shot of reaching the over. With that said, we’re indeed going with the over wins total as our pick for the Clippers.
