Los Angeles Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 12/22/2020 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Los Angeles Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Location: STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Clippers (+2.5)

The Los Angeles Clippers (49-23 last year) are headed to STAPLES Center on Tuesday where they'll take on the Los Angeles Lakers (52-19 last season). The Clips open this contest as 2.5-point underdogs. The total is set at 224.5.

The Clippers step onto the hardwood after finishing with a win-loss record of 49-23 last year. They turned it over 14.6 times per contest and as a group committed 22.1 personal fouls per game. As a team, Los Angeles pulled down 47.7 boards per game and tallied 1,708 dimes last year, which had them ranked 17th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Clippers connected on 37.1% on shots beyond the perimeter (895 of 2,410) and 79.1% from the charity stripe. They had an average of 116.3 pts per game (4th in the league) while going 46.6% from the field. On the defensive end, the Clippers forced 14.1 turnovers per contest and they drew 22.9 fouls. The Clippers gave up a shooting percentage of 43.8% (2,846 of 6,494) and they relinquished 45.3 boards per contest as a basketball team. They were ranked 15th in the NBA in giving up assists with 1,709 relinquished over the course of last season. They gave up 34.5% on 3-point attempts and they were 13th in the league in points per game from their opponents (109.9).

The Los Angeles Clippers took the court against the Denver Nuggets and took a loss by a score of 104-89 in their last game of their Western Conference playoff series. Los Angeles ended the game with a 37.8% field goal percentage (34 out of 90) and made 9 of 35 3-pointers. From the free throw line, the Clippers made 12 of their 16 attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. Concerning rebounding, they earned 37 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 21 assists for this contest in addition to getting 8 steals and 3 blocked shots. In terms of the defense, Los Angeles allowed the other team to go 49.4% from the field on 38 out of 77. Denver distributed 22 assists and 4 steals for the contest. Moreover, the Nuggets grabbed 53 boards (11 offensive, 42 defensive) and had 5 blocked shots. Denver ended up going 93.8% from the charity stripe by knocking down 15 of 16 shots. They converted 13 of 37 attempts from downtown.

Kawhi Leonard is one guy who played a lot for the contest. He finished with 14 points on 6 of 22 shooting. He played for 43:30 and pulled down 6 boards. Leonard finished the contest at 27.3% from the field and totaled 6 dimes. Another guy that played a role in the matchup for the Clippers was Paul George. He had 4 rebounds and collected 2 assists. He shot 25.0% from the field in this matchup by going 4-of-16 (10 points). When the final whistle was blown, George was on the court for 38:14.

The Lakers had a mark of 52-19 last year and ended up as Champions of the Bubble. The Lakers were responsible for committing 20.7 fouls per contest and they shot 72.9% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates was at 25.4 times per game (10th in basketball) and they lost possession via turnover 15.2 times per game. Los Angeles scored 8,054 points throughout last year (113.4 per game) and they collected 45.7 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Lakers connected on 48.0% from the floor, which was ranked 1st in the NBA. The Lakers on the defensive side of the court were 4th in the league in PPG given up with 107.6. They conceded 23.4 assists and 42.3 total boards per game, ranking them 7th and 2nd in those categories on the defensive end. The Los Angeles defense conceded 34.9% on 3-point attempts (827 of 2,373) and opponents converted on 78.1% of their free throw attempts. They forced 15.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allowed teams to shoot 44.8% from the field (8th in the league).

The last time they took the court, the Los Angeles Lakers walked away with a victory by a final of 106-93 against the Miami Heat to close out the Finals. The Lakers collected 34 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 46 in the game. They also blocked 4 tries while recording 5 steals in the matchup. The Heat earned 18 fouls for the matchup which got the Lakers to the charity stripe for 14 attempts. They were able to bury 9 of them for a rate of 64.3%. In reference to shots from 3-point land, Los Angeles made 11 of their 35 tries (31.4%). At the conclusion of this game, the Lakers ended up going 43 for 89 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.3%. The Lakers permitted the Heat to convert 35 out of 79 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 44.3% in the matchup. They finished the game shooting 35.7% from beyond the perimeter by going 10 of 28 and ended up shooting 13 out of 22 at the free throw line (59.1%). When it comes to how they attacked the glass, Los Angeles allowed Miami to collect 41 in all (9 on the offensive side).

LeBron James ended up being a major contributor for the Lakers for this contest. He converted 13 out of 20 for this game giving him a rate of 65.0%, which got him 28 points. James had 14 boards in his 41:13 of playing time and earned 10 dimes for this game. An additional guy that was pivotal for Los Angeles was Anthony Davis. He totaled 19 points in his 35:06 on the hardwood via 7 of 17 shooting for this game. Davis ended the game having shot 41.2% from the floor and also earning 3 assists and 15 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take the Lakers (-2.5)

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