The race for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference has been crazy, and the Los Angeles Clippers need a win on Monday to further their chances.
The Clips are taking the Orlando Magic, who have won six of their last 10 games to put them back in the mix for the No. 7 seed in the East.
After losing in a close game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, the Clippers are the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference since Golden State and Minnesota won on Sunday.
Kawhi Leonard sat out the front end of a back-to-back on Sunday, but that is a sign that he’ll be good to go in this matchup.
Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my game prediction for Monday’s matchup between playoff contenders.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
Moneyline
Total
Clippers Injury Report
Magic Injury Report
Los Angeles Clippers Best NBA Prop Bet
After several down scoring games in his return from knee and hamstring injuries, Powell went OFF against Cleveland on Sunday, scoring 34 points.
Even with Kawhi likely back in the lineup, this line is a little too low for Powell, who is averaging 22.6 points per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from beyond the arc this season.
Orlando Magic Best NBA Prop Bet
Paolo Banchero has shot the 3-ball well as of late, hitting 37.0 percent of his shots from deep over his last 11 games.
While Paolo has failed to hit multiple 3s in his last two games, he had done so in nine games in a row before that. I’m buying Paolo in this market on Monday.
The Clippers may have lost on Sunday against the Cavs, but they covered the spread as a road underdog and nearly pulled off the upset despite being down their best player.
Yesterday seemed like a maintenance day for Leonard, who has not played both ends of a back-to-back all season, so if he plays I love the Clippers in this matchup.
Los Angeles is No. 1 in the NBA in net rating (+14.3) over its last 10 games, and it is one of the best defensive teams in the league. Now, the Magic are also an elite defense, but they rank in the bottom five in the NBA in offensive rating and effective field goal percentage.
That won’t get it done against a Clippers team with Kawhi, and it’s worth noting that Orlando is not good as a home underdog, going just 4-7-1 against the spread this season.
Pick: Clippers -2.5 (-112 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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