The Suns and Clippers will do battle on Monday night, one of the final home games at “Staples Center” ever. The era ends soon, as the team is going to be officially renaming the stadium as Crypto.com Arena, marking the first venue in all of the sports to include a URL in the name. Once that happens, the golden era of L.A. basketball will have to have a new name.
The venue will just house the Lakers, as the Clips will be relocating to Inglewood soon to play in the new arena that the team is going to have. Nonetheless, the focus here is on the Suns, who possess the best record in the league to this point. At 21-4, they have been able to overcome several key injuries to stay atop the standings, impressing at every last turn.
As for the Clippers, they won their last game on a last-second Reggie Jackson jumper. While they can hang their heads on the win, they should also be disappointed that they only beat the Magic by two.
In the same breath, they did it with Paul George not playing, so maybe it was a bit impressive. And how about Luke Kennard, who hit seven more threes. He is proving that he is worth that expensive extension.
This promises to be a battle, even though Devin Booker and Paul George may both be missing the contest.
Betting Odds & Lines
The spread is set at PHX -2.5. The over/under is currently sitting at 213 points. The PHX moneyline is -137, while LAC is set at +114.
PHX Seeks Win No. 22
Coming in with a 21-4 record, Phoenix had a month-long winning streak earlier in the year. They have been extremely impressive, doing a lot of good things on the floor. Injuries have left them pretty thin at the big man spots, but the bench players have stepped right up and filled the void as seamlessly as possible.
The team still has Chris Paul running point and talented forwards at every turn. Monty Williams continues to do a bang-up job, the perfect coach for the job that they needed. The goal will, of course, be a return to the NBA Finals.
Tonight, they need to keep LAC from going off with the threes.
Clips Seeking Key Home Win
In what will be a rematch of the Western Conference Finals, the Clippers will be looking to knock off the top team in the league. And they get the chance to do so on their home floor, though Paul George is on the injury report and is being listed as doubtful. It will be a tough game without him.
The onus falls then to Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard to get the offense going. Marcus Morris has also been playing at a high level since getting healthy and rejoining the lineup. They will need to protect the rim and also win the battle of threes. That is the only chance they have.
Clips Fall Short
Phoenix will get it done on the road, improving to 22-4.
Betting Picks:
- Phoenix -2.5
- Over 213
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