Lakers vs Clippers Odds, Spread and Picks
- The Los Angeles Clippers are 8-point favorites over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday (May 6th, 10 pm ET)
- LeBron James is expected to miss his second straight game with an ankle injury
- See below for analysis, odds and a betting prediction
The third installment of the battle of Los Angeles takes place on Thursday (May 6th, 10 pm ET), with the Clippers looking to complete the season sweep of the defending champs.
Tyronn Lue’s team enters play in third place in the West, while the Lakers currently sit sixth, making this matchup a potential opening round playoff preview with only a week and a half left on the schedule.
Lakers vs Clippers Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline at FanDuel | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| LA Lakers | +8.0 (-110) | +265 | Over 211 (-110) |
| LA Clippers | -8.0 (-110) | -330 | Under 211 (-110) |
Odds as of May 5th.
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The Clippers opened up as an 8-point favorite, in a game that features a total of 211. LAC is such a heavy favorite due to LeBron James’ ankle injury, which is expected to keep him out of the lineup for this game on Thursday, as well as Friday against Portland.
Life Without LeBron
James just returned to the lineup last Friday after missing six weeks due to the same ankle issue. He played 32 minutes in his first game back versus Sacramento, but was forced to leave Sunday’s contest with Toronto in the fourth quarter. He sat out Monday’s victory over Denver, and is expected to proceed cautiously with the postseason right around the corner.
“Father Time caught up 2 years ago to LeBron and now he’s trying to tackle him.” — @RicBucher pic.twitter.com/qRqK5Ar0m6
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) May 5, 2021
The Lakers currently have the same record as fifth place Dallas, but sit sixth due to the Mavs owning the tiebreaker. James and company are desperately trying to finish inside the top-six in the West and avoid the play-in tournament, a new event that LeBron clearly isn’t too fond of.
LeBron James on the play-in tournament: "Whoever came up with that s— needs to be fired"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 3, 2021
Not only will James likely miss Thursday’s contest, but the Lakers will also be without starting point guard Dennis Schroder as well. The 27-year-old is out 10-14 days due to the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocol, and without two of their top-three scorers, offense is going to be tough to come by for the Lakers.
Clippers Snap Slump
LAC meanwhile, avoided their first four-game losing streak of the season by downing the Raptors 105-100 on Tuesday. Paul George led the way with 22 points and 9 rebounds, while Kawhi Leonard chipped in 13 points, despite taking only six shots.
Battled for win No. 44.
📼 @honey highlights from DTLA. pic.twitter.com/3m9B3ogGwU
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) May 5, 2021
Patrick Beverley returned to the court for the first time since breaking his hand in early April, while the Clippers improved to 25-9 at home this season, which is the second best home mark in the conference. They held the Raps to 46% from the field and 34.3% from beyond the arc, limiting an opponent to 106 points or less for the 33rd time this season.
LAC has surrendered just 195 total points in two games versus the Lakers this season, and given how they rank top-five in points allowed, we should expect another low scoring affair on Thursday.
The Verdict
The Clips stingy defense is a big reason why so many of their games have fallen under the total this season. The under has hit in six straight Clipper games, and in nine of their past 10 contests overall. Thursday’s game features the third lowest over/under in a Clipper contest this season, but the under hit in each of the two previous games that closed at a lower number.
One of those contests was against this same Laker team without LeBron, and it produced only 190 points. The Lakers meanwhile, are no strangers playing low scoring games with or without the King. The under has hit in three of their past four, and is 40-25 this season.
Pick: Under 211 (-110)
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As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
