Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Picks, Predictions, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

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The opening round of the NBA Playoffs resumes on Sunday night with Game 1 of a compelling Western Conference matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns. Coverage begins from the Footprint Center in Phoenix at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS vs. PHOENIX SUNS BETTING PREDICTION

The Suns earned a Top 2 seed in the conference in back-to-back campaigns prior to finishing 4th in the West with a record of 45-37 this season, however, don’t be fooled by their relatively modest regular season tally, this Phoenix’ team is far more dangerous than the ones that we’ve seen in years past, and it will likely becomes apparent in their first round playoff series against a banged-up Clippers’ squad.

Take nothing away from the Clippers, quite frankly, the fact that they made it this far while successfully dodging the Play-In Tournament is an admirable feat given the circumstances, considering Kawhi Leonard missed 30 contests early in the year, and now, they venture into the playoffs with Paul George sidelined.

For a variety of reasons, this Clippers’ team has consistently underperformed over the last handful of years, but nothing has hampered them more than the revolving door of injuries cycling between Leonard and George; and it appears that this postseason will be no different.

To be fair, the Suns are widely considered the best squad in the conference at the moment, currently favored to win the West with a price tag of +190. So, making it out of this series alive would’ve been a tall order for them regardless of George’s presence; however, it still doesn’t eliminate the fact that the reason that the only reason they are in this position in the first place is because they were forced to play over one-third of the season without Leonard, and now, they have little-to-no chance in this series in the absence of George.

In years past, the depth of this Suns’ squad allowed them to string together impressive win streaks and magnificent regular season campaigns; however, they’ve become notorious for coming up short in playoff series against top shelf contenders, which is why, ultimately, they elected to go out and acquired a two-time Finals’ MVP in Kevin Durant.

Unfortunately, just three games after acquiring Durant, KD went down with an injury that kept him sidelined until the final homestretch of the regular season, but in the eight total contests that Durant has played since arriving in Phoenix, the Suns have posted a perfect 8-0 record to go along with an offensive rating of 121 ORtg, which would be the highest mark in the entire league if that numbers persisted; and don’t forget, Phoenix ranks 7th in the defensive rating as well (113 DRtg).

While on the other hand, the Clippers have ranked in the Bottom Half of the league at both ends of the floor all season, ranked just 16th in offensive rating and 18th in defensive rating (115 ORtg, 114.5 DRtg); and to cut them some slack, they’ve played in the absence of one of their superstars for most of the year, but such pedestrian levels of play simply won’t cut it against this newly revamped Suns’ squad.

All things considered, the Clippers might be able to steal a game on their homefloor later in this series. The current iteration of this Phoenix’ team hasn’t played together much, and there’s a good chance that they’ll hit some bumps in the road on the way to forming chemistry with Durant in the lineup; but at times when everything is clicking for the Suns, we’ll probably see them run the Clippers out of the building, and there’s a good chance everything clicks for them while well-rested at home in Game 1.

Score Prediction: Suns 119, Clippers 105
Best Bet: Suns -7 (-110)

Take PHX!

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LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS vs. PHOENIX SUNS BETTING ODDS

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS vs. PHOENIX SUNS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Sunday, April 16, 2023
Venue: Footprint Center
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
TV-Time: ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET
Matchup
Expert Picks

NBA Finals Betting Odds

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS vs. PHOENIX SUNS BETTING STATS

Los Angeles Clippers
SU: 44-38
ATS: 40-42
O/U: 40-42
PPG: 113.6
OPPG: 113.1

Phoenix Suns
SU: 45-37
ATS: 43-38-1
O/U: 42-39-1
PPG: 113.6
OPPG: 111.6

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Updated on 01/24/2025

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LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS vs. PHOENIX SUNS BETTING TRENDS

• The Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games.
• The total has gone OVER in eight of the Clippers' last nine games.
• The Clippers are 5-2 SU in their last seven games.
• The Suns are 6-3 ATS in their last nine games.
• The total has gone OVER in four of Phoenix's last five games.
• The Suns are 7-2 SU in their last nine games.
• The total has gone UNDER in six of Phoenix's last eight matchups against the Clippers.
• The Suns are 6-1 SU in their last seven home games.
• The Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last five matchups against Phoenix.
• The total has gone OVER in eight of the Clippers' last 11 road games.
• The Clippers are 4-2 ATS in their last six road games against Phoenix.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson