Suns vs Clippers Odds and Predictions

• The Suns are a three-point road favorite over the Clippers on Monday night
• This is the teams’ first meeting since the Suns won last season’s Western Conference Finals
• A look at the matchups and odds can be found below with a pick

Meeting for the first time since last season’s Western Conference Finals, the Phoenix Suns visit the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30pm ET Monday at the Staples Center.

The Suns (21-4) have the best record in the NBA and won 20 of 21 games since starting the season 1-3. The Clippers (15-12) are on a three-game winning streak that has pushed their record above .500.

Phoenix is a road favorite in a game that will be shown on NBA TV.

Suns vs Clippers Odds

Odds as of December 12th at FanDuel.

Suns vs Clippers Injury Report

The Suns showcased their depth in beating the Boston Celtics 111-90 on Friday night at home. Phoenix played without leading scorer Devon Booker (hamstring) and center DeAndre Ayton (non-COVID illness).

Booker, the Suns’ leading scorer will miss his fifth straight game, though he did take part in shooting drills Saturday in practice. He is averaging 23.2 points a game.

Guess who's still getting up shots?

Devin Armani Booker.

Hasn't played since straining left hamstring in first half of win over #Warriors.

Monty Williams said there is no update on Booker with the injury.

But I haven't seen him doing this after practice since injury. #Suns pic.twitter.com/GI63byvJ54

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) December 11, 2021

Ayton is also questionable. He sat out Friday’s 111-90 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks after not feeling well during the morning shootaround.

Reserve forward Abdel Nader (knee) will sit out his 11th game in a row.

The Clippers are also likely to be without their top scorer as Paul George (elbow) is considered doubtful. George, who is averaging 25 points a game, missed his second game in a row Saturday when the Clippers edged the Orlando Magic 106-104 at home.

Forward Nicolas Batum (ankle) also sat out the win and is questionable Monday.

Suns vs Clippers Projected Lineups

Suns’ Outlook

Backup center JaVale McGee led the way against the Celtics as he established season highs with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

McGee was 9-of-16 from the floor. He even made just the 11th three-point field goal of his 14-year career.

Javale McGee is going off! pic.twitter.com/D6hlgLjZRl

— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) December 11, 2021

Cameron Payne added 17 points and five assists off the bench and Cameron Johnson had 16 points and six assists in a reserve role.

Jae Crowder finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, Mikal Bridgers contributed 14 points, Chris Paul had 10 points and 12 assists and Landry Shamet chipped in with 10 points. In all, seven Suns scored in double figures.

The Suns played strong defense. They held the Celtics to 37.6% (35-of-93) shooting, including 4-for-26 (15.4%) on three-pointers.

Phoenix is fifth in the NBA in points allowed with an average of 104.4 a game and opponents are shooting just 43.4%. The Suns are second in defensive rating, giving up 104.1 points per 100 possessions.

Clippers’ Outlook

Reggie Jackson’s step-back jumper from 20 feet with 2.2 seconds left broke a 104-all tie and gave Los Angeles the victory over the Magic.

Jackson finished with a team-high 25 points. Nine of those points came in the last three minutes.

Reggie Jackson, GAME. pic.twitter.com/TmYSmowpQP

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 11, 2021

Luke Kennard made a career-high seven three-pointers in 11 attempts on his way to a season-high 23 points. He also dished five assists.

The Clippers made half their three tries, draining 18-of-36. They improved to 3-1 in games decided by four points or less.

Terance Mann just missed a double-double as he had 18 points and nine rebounds. Ivica Zubac contributed 10 points and six rebounds.

Suns vs Clippers History

The Suns beat the Clippers in six games to win the Western Conference title in 2020-21.

Booker led the way for Phoenix by averaging 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Paul had averages of 24.0 points and 8.8 assists while Ayton scored 17.8 points and grabbed 13.7 rebounds a game and Johnson had a 10.8 scoring average.

Playing without leading scorer Kawhi Leonard (knee), the Clippers got 28.5 points, 10.5 points and 5.5 assists a game from George. Veterans Jackson (20.3) and Marcus Morris (12.2) combined to average 32.5 points while Zubac had averages of 12.8 points and 11.0 rebounds.

Suns vs Clippers Prediction

This game is a bit hard to predict with Booker and George both likely to sit out. Look for the Suns’ deeper roster to make the difference.

The Pick: Suns -3 (-110)