It will be a battle between Pacific Division opponents when the Los Angeles Lakers (24-6) welcome the Los Angeles Clippers (22-10) to the Staples Center. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 25, 2019, and will air on ESPN.
The Clippers are 1.5-point favorites on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 223 points.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers ATS Prediction
The Clippers are hoping to rebound after not being able to cover as 1.5-point underdogs in their 118-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in their last contest. The game’s total points (230) were under the O/U total of 235.5. The Thunder had an offensive rebounding percentage of 33.3 (above their season average of 18.5). The Clippers, meanwhile, did an excellent job of making free throws (21-24; 87.5 percent). Lou Williams was the Clippers’ high scorer with 22 points on 7-for-20 shooting.
In the Lakers’ previous matchup, they were blown out by the Denver Nuggets, 128-104, despite being 2.5-point favorites. The game’s combined points (232) were well over the projected point total of 208.5. The Nuggets had a turnover percentage of 7.1 (better than their season average of 11.8). The Lakers, meanwhile, had an offensive rebounding percentage of 40.0 (above their season average of 23.9). With 32 points on 13-for-23 shooting, Anthony Davis was the top scorer from either team.
The Clippers head into the game with records of 22-10 straight up (SU) and 17-14-1 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is known to set the total high when the Clippers are involved, as 56.3 percent of their contests have gone under the total.
Meanwhile, the Lakers own records of 24-6 SU and 16-14 ATS. Lakers games also have a tendency to go under the total (56.7 percent).
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 30 points and the Clippers, who were 3.5-point underdogs, beat the Lakers 112-102. He also had six rebounds and five assists. The game finished with a total of 214 points, which was 10 points below the projected point total of 224 points. The Clippers had a better offensive rebounding percentage (25.6 vs. 20.9) and had a better free throw rate (0.210 vs. 0.176).
Clippers vs. Lakers Free Pick
Pick: ATS Winner – Lakers, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
In games where they reach 100 points, the Lakers and Clippers are both 20-6.
The total has gone under in 7 of the Lakers’ 13 home games, while 8 of the Clippers’ 16 road games have gone over.
The Lakers rank third in steals per game (8.5) while the Clippers rank 23rd in steals allowed per game (8.3).
The Lakers rank second in rebounds allowed per game (41.5) while the Clippers rank 13th (45.5).
The Clippers rank fourth in assists allowed per game (22.5) while the Lakers rank 10th (23.2).
The Lakers rank first in second chance points per game (15.0) while the Clippers rank sixth in second chance points allowed per game (12.1).
In their last five games, the Clippers are 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
The Lakers are 0-5 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Clippers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 6.4, down from 7.1 for the season.
During their last five games, the Lakers have scored an average of 104.8 points per game (7.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 110.0 points per game (5.1 above their season average).