Game: Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Clippers
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Odds: Suns +1, Clippers -1
Total: 226.5
Fresh off a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Suns remain in town to take on the Clippers tonight. The Phoenix win last night eliminated the Lakers from the postseason. The victory also broke the franchise record for wins (63) in a season beating the records held by the Charles Barkley-led Suns in 1992-93 and the Steve Nash-led Suns in 2004-05. Phoenix has the top seed in the West locked up and with three games left, it would appear that the Suns would rest some of their starters tonight.
It has not been announced yet, but with the Suns playing last night it is believed that guys like Devin Booker and Chris Paul will be on the bench tonight. That is why the line has flipped to the Clippers at -1. Tonight’s game represents an opportunity for the Clippers to prepare for the play-in tournament. L.A. has won its last two in a row and three of its last four games. The Clippers are currently eighth in the West and have a four-game lead over ninth-place New Orleans.
The Clippers also have a huge rest advantage heading into tonight. L.A. beat New Orleans by 19 on Sunday and hasn’t played since. In games where they have had a rest advantage, the Clippers are 8-12 SU. Phoenix, which has the best record in the NBA, is 17-5 so far this season in games where they had a rest disadvantage.
L.A. has enjoyed a distinct advantage over the Suns when they play at home at Crypto.com Arena. In the last 18 games against Phoenix at home, the Clippers are 15-3 SU. That includes the game they played there earlier this season. The Clippers won 111-95 back in December. The Suns won the other two games in Phoenix, winning by seven and 17 points. The Clippers are also 7-3 SU in their last ten games against Western Conference opponents.
The Suns, at just about full strength, are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games and 16-4 SU in their last 20 games on the road. Phoenix is, however, 1-4 ATS in its last five games. While the Clippers have won three of their last four games, those three wins are the only wins L.A. has in its last nine games. The Clippers are also 3-6 ATS in those nine games.
The total has gone Under in four of the Suns’ last five games. The Under has also been the trend in this series with four of the last six Suns-Clippers games going Under the total. In the three games this season, at least one team has been held to fewer than 100 points.
Not surprisingly, all three games have gone Under. Seven of the last ten meetings have gone Under and the teams have averaged 206.4 points in those ten games. Both teams also rank in the top ten in defensive efficiency, but the Clippers have trended Over recently with five of their last six games going Over the total.