Los Angeles Clippers (38-35, 19-17 at home) have to deal with losing Paul George, possibly for the rest of the regular season, on top of their recent heartbreak of losing by one point to a club chasing them for a top six berth in the NBA playoff bracket.
The Clippers lost 101-100 on Tuesday, and the star guard went to the floor after getting fouled by Luguentz Dort with 4:38 left. He laid on the ground for a while before getting up, and when he did, he appeared unable to bear weight on his right leg. He had to be carried to the locker room.
His squad will have another opportunity to exact retribution against the Oklahoma City Thunder (36-35, 14-21 on the road) on Thursday, March 23 at Crypto.com Arena. The game will be shown on NBA TV and will begin at 10:30 p.m. ET.
The Clippers are favored by 2 points to prevent a season sweep by the Thunder, despite losing their leading scorer. On Tuesday, despite being 6.5-point favorites, Los Angeles was blown out by Oklahoma City.
Los Angeles will have to deal with more than just the absence of George in this rematch. The Thunder may have an advantage in the rematch with the Clippers thanks to their younger roster and the Clippers’ 0-5 ATS record in games played with one day of rest.
Thunder has Clippers Number This Year
As a result, OKC has won eight of its last ten games and is playing some of their best basketball of the season. As the new year began, they were merely 15-21, but since then, they have gone 21-15.
The Thunder’s record against the Clippers in their last seven encounters was 2-5 before their three matchups this season. In contrast, OKC has dominated all three meetings this season, covering the spread each time.
With each Thunder victory, Shai Gilgeous-case Alexander’s for NBA MVP consideration strengthens further. The fourth highest scorer in the NBA has averaged 38.7 points in seven games since his comeback from injury on March 5th.
He scored 31 points against his previous team on Tuesday, leading the team in scoring for the second straight game. Yet, the Thunder’s defensive stand in the dying seconds proved decisive, as they prevented Kawhi Leonard from getting off a shot before the game-ending buzzer sounded.
The Clippers Can’t Catch a Break
It seems like the Los Angeles Clippers’ duo of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard has been plagued by injuries ever since it was formed. The loss of George would be devastating to a team that has been favored to win the NBA title for most of the season.
The eight-time all-star is out for the time being with a right knee injury; he will be reevaluated in two to three weeks. Who knows whether he’ll be anywhere near 100% when he returns, even if he does. These players have been accustomed to playing without their team’s superstars, but they still need to improve in their absence.
The Clippers are now 5th in the Western Conference but only lead the 11th-place Lakers and 12th-place Pelicans by 2.5 games (not including the play-in round). A second consecutive home loss to OKC would be catastrophic for Coach Lue’s squad.
Thunder vs Clippers Prediction
Some might have thought the Thunder would be favorites in NBA odds for this rematch after their victory against the Clippers on Tuesday with George in the starting lineup. They have dominated the Clippers this season and everything seems to be going their way.
Yet, we don’t expect Kawhi and the Clippers to suffer a season-ending four-game sweep at the hands of the Thunder. With the latest NBA betting odds in their favor, you can depend on Leonard, LA’s low key star, to show Gilgeous-Alexander that it’s not his time quite yet after he’s just come off a back-to-back.
