NBA Tuesday January 23rd Lakers at Clippers Betting Preview
Lakers Have Owned the Season Series So Far
Like feuding brothers, the Clippers will soon get their own room when they move to a new stadium in Inglewood next year. Until then, there are two more matchups between the roomates including the January 23rd Lakers at Clippers betting matchup. The feud has belonged to Lebron James and Company so far in 2023/24, as they’ve gone 2-0 against their current in-stadium counterparts.
Tuesday night’s matchup could be one for the Clippers to take, as they’ve gone 8-2 so far in January to climb up to 4th place in the Western Conference. LAC is a -9.5 favorite, but a whopping 70% of the public likes the Lakers and the points.
Why the Lakers Have Value at +9.5
The Clippers have played well going 8-2 over their last 10, but one of those losses came to these Lakers on January 7th 106-103 as +4.5 underdogs. Lebron James put together a 25/8/7 line in that game while Anthony Davis added 22/10.
The Lakers had lost 9 of their previous 11 before the win over the Clippers, and that victory seems to have given them some momentum. LAL has now won five of their last eight to climb one game above .500 and although the Lakers are just 6-14 on the road, that stat really doesn’t apply to Tuesday night’s game at Crypto.com Arena. LAL is 16-8 at home this year if anybody wanted to take that stat into equation.
The Lakers have played the Clippers tight this year, winning two close battles. LAL won 130-125 in OT on November 1st to go along with their 3-point win two weeks ago. Those two tight contests – both wins mind you – could be why so much public betting is riding on the Lakers.
Why the Clippers Have Value at -9.5
The Lakers may have won the first two head to head meetings this season, but the Clippers have owned their rivals over the past few years winning the previous 11. LAC won all four meetings last year, with one victory coming by 13 and another by 18 so they do have the capabilities for a blowout win.
LAC was pretty dominant on the interior in the last meeting with the Lakers as Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 19 rebounds. The Clippers only lost by 3 even though Kawhi Leonard was just 6-17 from the field with 15 points. Leonard averages 23.7 per game, and has at least 21 in four of his last five.
Overall the Clippers are 19-4 since December 1st, most recently handling the Nets 125-114 on Sunday in a balanced game that saw James Harden go for 24, Russell Westbrook adding 23, and Leonard chipping in 21. That was the best game in a long time for either Harden or Westbrook, so if this can be the start of something for them LAC should be able to get a big win.
Free January 23rd Lakers at Clippers Betting Pick
+9.5 points does seem very high in this matchup and there’s no wonder that 70% of the betting public are on the Lakers. The line has also moved away from the Lakers who opened at +8, so this is a game where you simply play the point spread and not necessarily the matchup.
Free Pick: Clippers -9.5
