The Los Angeles Clippers host the Portland Trail Blazers in the second game of Tuesday’s NBA on NBC doubleheader and this game couldn’t be more important for both sides.
The Trail Blazers enter the game ninth in the Western Conference standings, just half a game behind the Clippers with six games left on their schedule.
The Clippers won the first two meetings against the Blazers in October and December and can secure the head-to-head tiebreaker with a win on Tuesday night.
With the NBA Play-In Tournament just weeks away, there’s a reasonable chance these two teams could be battling for the final playoff spot in an elimination game, which means home court advantage for a potential play-in matchup.
Oddsmakers have the Clippers listed at 5.5-point favorites tonight with the Over/Under set at 227.5 total points.
Trail Blazers vs. Clippers prediction, best bets
The Clippers are in the midst of one of the most amazing in-season turnarounds in NBA history. There have been a few different versions of this team throughout the season, but the current version is clearly the most interesting.
After trading for Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin during the NBA Trade Deadline, the Clippers are much younger and dynamic than they were with James Harden.
Garland has played just 13 games, but the Clippers are 10-3 in those matchups. His relentless attacks at the rim have created open shots for teammates and given the Clippers a different look on offense. Despite trading All-Defense center Ivica Zubac to the Pacers, the Clips have maintained a solid defense, ranking eighth since the deadline.
It also helps that Kawhi Leonard is having a phenomenal year, averaging a career-best 28.2 points per game and .629 True Shooting Percentage. Leonard is on track to tie his most regular season games played since was in San Antonio in 2017.
While the Clippers were tremendously cold then immensely hot, the Blazers have hovered around the play-in range all season. Their season could have easily been derailed by Chauncey Billups’ sudden arrest at the beginning of the campaign, but the Blazers have remained consistent throughout under the guidance of interim head coach Tiago Splitter.
First-time All-Star Deni Avdija will get the lion’s share of the credit, but the Blazers have found success in unexpected areas. The emergence of center Donovan Clingan as the league’s best offensive rebounder and a decent outside shooter has been a welcome development for Portland.
Injuries have prevented the Blazers from fully realizing their potential with all of their players available at the same time, though.
Scoot Henderson, their No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 draft, didn’t play his first game until Feb. 6 and Shaedon Sharp, their second-leading scorer this season, has been out since Feb. 7. Even in this game, the Blazers won’t have Jerami Grant, their third-leading scorer, who is out with a calf injury.
Betting on the NBA?
The Blazers have been plugging holes in their roster all season and the fact that they are a .500 team is impressive.
But I don’t think they will have enough offense to keep up with the Clippers here. Since the start of February, the Blazers are 19th in offense (144.9 points per 100 possessions) while the Clippers are seventh (119.7).
I think the Clippers have the edge here — especially at home, — so I’ll take them to cover.
The Pick: Clippers -5.5 (-105, DraftKings)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.