There is only one game on the NBA schedule for Thursday. The Clippers travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns. This matchup doesn't quite have the same intrigue as it would have in previous seasons, but sportsbooks expect this to be a close matchup. Let's take a deeper look at the matchup and go over our top NBA picks & predictions.
Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>
Thursday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Los Angeles Clippers at Phoenix Suns
It's been a disappointing start to the season for both of these teams. The Clippers, after the Kawhi Leonard saga in the offseason, have struggled to stay healthy and will be without Leonard and Bradley Beal in this game. The Suns moved on from Kevin Durant, but it hasn't worked out quite how they've wanted. Something will have to give in this game.
The Clippers have an abysmal 1-6 against the spread (ATS) record to start the year. Their typically strong defense under Tyronn Lue has taken a step back in the early part of this season. They've fallen to the middle of the pack in turnovers and rebounding while being a below-average shooting defense. Part of this could be a small sample size; they aren't fouling often, so expect to see some of these defensive outputs to improve.
Phoenix spent much of the last five seasons as a top offensive team. This season has been totally different. They are turning the ball over at a pretty significant rate. Their turnover rate of 15.9% is one of the five worst in the league. They still play at a lightning fast pace, but that hasn't exactly boded well for them as they're averaging 116.9 points per game, which is only around league average in the early part of the season.
The story of this game is an underperforming defense against what might be one of the worst offenses in the league. Sure, the Clippers are without Leonard, but that's been pretty normal over the last few seasons, and they've still managed to put up some good defensive stats. I think this is a game where they can begin to turn the tide. I like the under on Thursday night.
Pick: Under 224.5 Points (-112)
