Lakers vs Clippers Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions
Battle of LA Dominated by Clippers of Late
Lakers Struggling
The Los Angeles Lakers went from being championship favorites to barely even making it into the NBA play-in tournament. The team has lost three straight and six out of seven heading into Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
As for the Los Angeles Clippers, they’ve been the better LA team of late. They enter this game on a four-game winning streak, including a victory over the Lakers. However, those other three wins all came against the Houston Rockets.

Which of these sides is the best choice for NBA game betting purposes? Let’s take a closer look at the NBA odds and the matchup.
Lakers Can’t Afford to Lose LeBron
Essentially, the only player on the Lakers roster that has performed consistently well has been LeBron James. The Lakers are also worrying right now because James is struggling with a knee injury and is listed as questionable to play on Thursday.
Anthony Davis is already ruled out with his mid-foot sprain that he suffered in February. Russell Westbrook could be the only man left standing out here, which isn’t really a good thing.
Westbrook has averaged 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game but averages 4.0 turnovers. He also shoots a pitiful 43.2 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from behind the arc.
If James can’t play, the Lakers are in serious trouble. Watch the news before you bet online.
Clippers Keep On Trucking
It has been impressive to see the Clippers continue to get the job done without their best players. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both remain out of the lineup for this game and Norman Powell will join them as well.
This means that Reggie Jackson is going to assume the lead scoring role for this game. Jackson averages 16.7 points.
The real strength of this group is that there are so many players that can score. Marcus Morris averages 16.0 points, Luke Kennard averages 11.6 and Terrance Mann is at 10.6. The Clippers just have to stick to the way that they play in order to beat the free-falling Lakers.
Lakers vs Clippers Head-to-Head
These two teams have played in 230 games throughout NBA history, with the Lakers winning 150 of them. The only problem is that their 150th win came all the way back in 2020. The Clippers have won six straight games against the Lakers now.
Lakers vs Clippers Game Information
- Game: Los Angeles Lakers (27-34) at Los Angeles Clippers (33-31)
- Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
- Day/Time: Thursday, 10 p.m. ET
- Television: TNT
Lakers vs Clippers Betting Lines
Lakers vs Clippers Prediction
The Lakers are listed as the underdogs in the sportsbook and for good reason. Their losing streak against coach Tyronn Lue and the Clippers coupled with their own internal struggles have made for a bad choice all around here.
The spread is sitting at just 2½ points as well, which makes the Clippers even more enticing.
This squad has just known how to handle James and the Lakers the past couple of seasons and even with their players missing they have proven to be able to beat them.
Now throw in the possibility that James may not be entering this game at 100 percent health and the Clippers could increase their win streak to seven.