Suns vs. Clippers Game 2 prediction, pick: NBA odds, best bets
Few expected the Clippers to even remain competitive in their first-round series with the Suns, who entered the postseason as the favorites to win the West despite their modest seeding.
Instead, Los Angeles delivered the first blow in this matchup with a stunning Game 1 win on the road.
NBA bettors aren’t buying an encore performance in Game 2, as Phoenix enters Tuesday as a massive home favorite with over 75% of the handle ahead of tip-off.
Here’s how we’re betting Tuesday’s contest, which tips off at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.
Suns vs. Clippers odds
- Suns -8.5 (-110), moneyline -375
- Clippers +8.5 (-110), moneyline +290
- O/U 226.5 (-110)
Suns vs. Clippers prediction and analysis
(10 p.m. ET on TNT)
On the surface, this feels like one of the toughest games to handicap in this entire postseason, as there’s a compelling case to be made for both sides ahead of Tuesday’s contest.
On one hand, this profiles as a quintessential bounce-back spot for the Suns, who were a perfect 8-0 straight up (6-2 against the spread) with Kevin Durant in the lineup until Sunday’s shocking result.
They had outscored those eight opponents by 11.5 points per 100 possessions, and their offensive rating in those eight games (121.0) would rank first in NBA history across a full season.
Clearly, that’s a small sample size, but it illustrates just how dangerous this team is with Durant in the fold.
We saw that on Sunday: Durant led his team with 27 points and 11 assists, and he added nine rebounds and two blocks in an all-around showcase for the former MVP.
All that said, it’s impossible to ignore what we saw from the Clippers in Game 1, led by an epic performance from their own superstar forward.
In his first playoff game in 671 days, Kawhi Leonard dazzled with a game-high 38 points on just 24 shots, all while serving as the primary defender on Durant for much of Sunday’s win.
It was a singularly dominant showing reminiscent of his epic playoff run in 2019, when he carried the Raptors to a Finals win over Durant and the dynastic Warriors.
Perhaps the most incredible part of Sunday’s performance: he did it all without making a single shot inside the restricted area, instead carving up Phoenix’s defense with an array of mid-range jumpers and some key triples down the stretch.
All 24 of his shot attempts were contested; it simply didn’t matter.
He was unstoppable.
While Leonard carried the load offensively, his teammates did the dirty work elsewhere. Ivica Zubac (15 rebounds), Mason Plumlee (11) and Russell Westbrook (11) were the three leading rebounders in Sunday’s win for either side, and Westbrook posted a game-high three blocks, including the clincher in the final seconds.
His horrid shooting display (3-of-19) is also a positive sign for the Clippers, who will likely benefit from fewer attempts or better efficiency from the former All-NBA guard in Game 2.
That’s true of the entire team: Leonard (13-of-24), Zubac (5-of-8) and Plumlee (3-of-3) were the only Clippers to shoot better than 50% from the floor, and Los Angeles won, anyway.
In a sense, your bet in this game depends on how much you believe in the replicability of Leonard’s brilliance on both ends of the floor.
We’ve seen it now for the better part of four months, and especially over the last month, as he’s re-established himself as arguably the single-most dominant force in the entire league – especially in the postseason.
The Suns will deliver a counterpunch in Game 2.
They’re too talented not to. But their series-opening loss revealed some real concerns with their depth, defense and rebounding, and they seemingly don’t have an answer for Leonard on either end.
If they don’t find one soon, this game – and series – will be a lot closer than the market expects.
