LA CLIPPERS VS. PHOENIX SUNS – ODDS & PREDICTIONS FOR JANUARY 3, 2024

Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Latest Basketball News. One of the games on tap from Wednesday night’s slate features the LA Clippers (20-12 SU, 16-16 ATS) taking on the Phoenix Suns (18-15 SU, 12-20-1 ATS).

Here is a look at which team has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Tipoff

• When: Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET
  
• Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
  
• TV: AZFamily and BSSC

LA Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Odds (Via DraftKings)

LA Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns – Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can The Clippers Continue Their Hot Streak Against The Suns?

LA Clippers Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 116.7 PPG – 10TH    
• Offensive Efficiency: 118.5 points per 100 possessions – 7TH    
• Scoring Defense: 111.9 PPG – 7TH   
• Defensive Efficiency: 113.6 points per 100 possessions – 11TH    

The LA Clippers have been playing some great basketball over the past several weeks. They have produced eight wins across their last 10 contests, catapulting them to the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. Not only that, but they also enter this matchup riding the wave of a three-game winning streak.

This includes a 121-104 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. Kawhi Leonard paced LA with 24 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Paul George contributed 23 points, three rebounds, and two assists. 

The Clippers have won 10 straight games when Kawhi Leonard has been on the floor, and they are hoping to continue that streak against the Suns. 

Will The Durant-less Suns Be Able To Cool Off The Surging Clippers?

Phoenix Suns Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 115.2 PPG – 14TH   
• Offensive Efficiency: 117.1 points per 100 possessions – 11TH     
• Scoring Defense: 113.6 PPG – 14TH    
• Defensive Efficiency: 115.4 points per 100 possessions – 15TH    

Meanwhile, the Suns are currently in the No. 8 spot in the conference playoff race, and they are just 5-5 across their last 10 outings. However, they come into this matchup on a four-game winning streak. 

This includes a 109-88 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night. Phoenix limited Portland to just 41.3 percent shooting from the field, including 26.7 percent from beyond the arc. Additionally, the 88 points was the lowest scoring output by a Suns’ opponent this season.

Bradley Beal – who missed some games early this season – scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed four rebounds. Jusuf Nurkic added 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists against his former team. Devin Booker was held to 10 points on 4-for-16 shooting from the field. But he did contribute eight rebounds and six assists. 

About Beal returning to the lineup from an ankle injury, teammate Jusuf Nurkic offered this assessment of Beal’s presence on the court:

“He changes everything,” Nurkic said of Beal, via ESPN. “It’s simple. We depend on him. When he is out there, it does not matter what he does, just being out there makes a big difference for our team.”

Make no mistake. Having Beal back in the rotation is a huge positive for the Suns. However, cooling off the Clippers will be a tall task, especially with Durant sitting this one out as well. 

Now, let us look at the all-important betting trends for both sides.

The Picks

The Spread

The Los Angeles Clippers opened as a consensus three-point favorite in this matchup. The line has moved to 3.5 points for the road team. Here is a quick glimpse at how both teams have fared against the spread this season.

• The LA Clippers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
• Los Angeles is 6-1 ATS in its last seven January contests.
• The Phoenix Suns are just 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games overall.
• Phoenix is 1-6 ATS in their last seven games at Footprint Arena.
• The Suns are 7-1 ATS in the eight games they have played in January.

Based on the above trends, taking the road team to cover the spread is a wise choice.

Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers (-3.5)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup opened at 233.5 points. At the time of this writing, the line has moved to 232.5 points (via pre-game.com). Here is a look at why going with the “OVER” is the smart choice here. 

• The total has gone OVER four times in the Clippers’ last five road games against Phoenix.

• The OVER total has prevailed 15 times in LA’s last 20 matchups against Pacific Division opponents.

• The total has gone OVER five times in the Suns’ last seven games against the Clippers.

Prediction: OVER 232.5 points

Prop Bets

The key player to watch for the road team is Kawhi Leonard. He currently has -105 odds of scoring more than 25.5 points and -125 odds of scoring less than 25.5 points (via PointsBet). 

• On the season, he is averaging 24.4 points per outing.
• In 13 road games, Leonard is averaging 26.3 PPG.
• Leonard has played against Western Conference teams 22 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 25 points per outing.
• Leonard has played in seven Wednesday night games this season. In those outings, he is averaging 26.4 PPG.
• Over his last 10 contests, Leonard is averaging 28.8 PPG, and he has exceeded the projected scoring total for this matchup seven times during that stretch.

As the trends seem to indicate, going with the “over” for Leonard looks like the better choice here.

Prediction: Kawhi Leonard OVER 25.5 points

The key player to watch for the home team is Devin Booker. He currently has -115 odds of scoring more than 27.5 points and -115 odds of finishing with less than 27.5 points (via DraftKings). Here is a look at how his season splits stack up against his projected scoring total for this matchup. 

• On the season, he is averaging 26.4 points per outing.
• In 14 home games, Booker is averaging 27.4 PPG, which is just a shade below his estimated scoring total for this matchup.
• Booker has played against Western Conference teams 17 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 26.6 PPG.
• He has played five times on Wednesday this season. His points-per-game average in those contests is 23.6.
• During December – a sample size of 13 games — Booker averaged 26.9 PPG.

Based on the above trends, going with “under” for Booker looks like a safe bet here.

Prediction: Devin Booker UNDER 27.5 points

James’s LA Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Picks

• The Spread: Phoenix Suns (-3.5)
  
• Over/Under: OVER 232.5 points
• Player Prop Bet #1: Kawhi Leonard UNDER 25.5 points
• Player Prop Bet#2: Devin Booker UNDER 27.5 points