Clippers vs. Lakers Prediction, Pick & Odds

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01 November 2023

Clippers vs. Lakers Prediction, Pick & Odds

There’s no love lost in Wednesday's marquee Pacific Division showdown, as we look at our Clippers vs. Lakers prediction based on the best NBA odds for the Battle of L.A.

The Battle of Los Angeles rivalry is renewed at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday as the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers face off. The Clippers will be without incoming guard James Harden, who was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. The team sent away a ton of depth to get him, so the Clippers will be short-handed.

The Lakers will be missing at least two players, meaning LeBron James may have to do some extra heavy lifting if he hopes to will his team to victory in what has been a one-sided rivalry since he first donned the purple and gold.

To accompany our NBA best bets for Wednesday, here is our best Clippers vs. Lakers prediction and NBA picks (odds via our best NBA betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Clippers vs. Lakers prediction

LeBron James Over 6.5 assists (+112 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We could get D’Angelo Russell’s assists prop at 5.5 for -135 to -145 odds. Yuck. We can certainly do better than that, though our Shane Jackson explained on Twitter why he likes targeting Russell's first-quarter prop for this game.

For this pick, let's focus on The King. James has handed out at least seven assists in two of four contests this season, but he will likely be called on to handle more responsibilities as a playmaker against the Clippers.

Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino are out tonight, leaving Russell as the team’s last PG standing. Vincent has averaged 28.3 minutes per game this season, so his absence is not trivial. D’Lo should see heavy minutes at point, but we know how effective James has been playing at that position in his career.

James has averaged 6.4 dimes per game against the Clippers across the last five seasons, and he dished seven in his last two games against them. What can James do to get teammates involved? He should have no problem finding an open man against a team that lost four rotational players to the James Harden trade.

Robert Covington, Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, and KJ Martin were all dealt to Philly, leaving the Clippers’ rotation as thin as can be. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George may or may not play in this one, as the team is on the second night of a back-to-back set, which means James could have even more room to operate.

Our Jon Metler also has his eyes on LeBron with his NBA player props for Wednesday.

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Clippers vs. Lakers best odds

This one is offered at four of our best sports betting apps, but we can get the best bang for our buck at FanDuel.

Caesars and bet365 each offer this one at -105, while DraftKings has it at even money. FanDuel is the only book offering it with such profitable plus-money odds, so that’s where we’ll turn our attention.

Clippers vs. Lakers odds

The Lakers opened as 2-point favorites in this one, but the line quickly jumped to Lakers -6.5. It has come back down to Lakers -4.5, where it currently sits. Over the last five seasons, this has been a one-sided affair. The Lakers are 2-13 straight up and ATS in that span. The Lakers are 2-2 straight up and 0-4 ATS this season, while the Clippers are 3-1 straight up and ATS.

The point total opened at a modest 227, fell to as low as 224 and has since risen to 226 or 226.5. The Clippers are 2-1-1 to the Over and the Lakers are 1-3 to the Under this season. The teams hit the Over in seven of 15 matchups across the last five seasons.