NBA Pick: Clippers +5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
It’s a potential NBA Finals matchup on national television Thursday night as the Los Angeles Clippers visit the Milwaukee Bucks. Which side of the 5-point spread has the best value at the best US sports betting sites? We also have a total play.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Thursday, February 02, 2023 – 10:00 PM EST at Fiserv Forum
Thursday is often rather quiet around the NBA other than the two games that TNT shows nationally, but this Thursday looks fantastic. Golden State visits Denver at 09:00 PM EST and that game isn’t even part of the TNT doubleheader. The first is Memphis at Cleveland and the nightcap is LA Clippers at Milwaukee. Very unusual for a Bucks home game to start at 10:00 PM EST, which is 09:00 PM local time.
This could easily be an NBA Finals rematch. They will play again on Feb. 10 in Los Angeles and split the two meetings last season, each winning on the road in crazy high-scoring games. The one in Milwaukee was a 153-119 victory for LA – but stars on both sides sat out so late in the regular season.
Milwaukee leads the all-time series 69-54 and is 41-18 at home. The total has gone over in six of the past eight meetings, and I fully expect points galore here.
Kawhi & PG-13 Good to Go
The Clippers are in the midst of a six-game road trip through the Eastern Conference and are 2-1 on it following a 108-103 comeback win in Chicago on Tuesday. Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points with five assists and five steals, and Paul George had 16 points and 10 rebounds. It was Kawhi’s seventh career game with at least 30 points, five assists, and five steals.
LA is such a fun team to watch when those two are both playing, which is so rare this season due to rest or injury. They will both be in there Thursday as this is not part of a back-to-back.
After going five straight games without a double-double, Ivica Zubac had one Tuesday with 14 points and 12 rebounds along with three blocks. Coach Ty Lue actually cut his minutes by about four per game in January. Norman Powell was great off the bench with 27 points, his fourth time scoring at least 25 in January (usually when either or both Kawhi and PG-13 sit).
Starting forward Marcus Morris (12.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) missed a fourth straight game with a rib contusion and is questionable for this one. I’d think he plays. Point guard Reggie Jackson returned from a one-game absence but came off the bench and had just two points in 27 minutes.
The Clippers have scored more than 100 points in 13 of their last 14 contests. Since Jan. 6, they are third in the NBA in offensive rating (120.1) and sixth in three-point shooting (39.9%). Defensively, LA ranks third in the NBA in opponent points per game (110.5), tied for eighth in opponents’ field-goal percentage (46.7), and tied for ninth in defensive rating (112.2) overall.
Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS on the NBA picks.
Bucks Are On Fire Offensively
While the Clippers don’t much care about the regular season and will not be finishing as the top seed in the West, the Bucks are only two games back of Boston for the East’s top seed and enter on a five-game winning streak. To earn that top seed, Boston is -475, and Milwaukee is +550 at the best Wisconsin betting sites.
The Bucks beat visiting Charlotte 124-115 on Tuesday and are averaging 131.4 points per game on 50.5% shooting overall and 40.6% from three in the winning streak. Milwaukee has scored at least 120 points in its past three, a season-long streak, and has reached the 130-point mark in five of its last eight games after just once in the first 43 games of the season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 18 rebounds in Tuesday’s win, and the Greek Freak is averaging 37.4 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game in the past five, shooting 61.5% from the field and 44.4% from three. If he starts hitting three-pointers consistently like that, he’s not guardable. Giannis is +1100 to win a third MVP.
Jrue Holiday added 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds against the Hornets. His 12 double-doubles in 40 games this season already match the 12 he had in 67 games all of last year. All-Star Khris Middleton played 20 minutes, his longest outing since returning from a sore right knee that caused him to miss 18 games. He might be allowed a few more minutes in this one. Middleton has come off the bench in each of the Bucks' five games since his return.
Milwaukee is missing one key piece in Sixth Man of the Year candidate Bobby Portis, who averages 14.1 points and 10.1 rebounds and is among the league’s double-double leaders. He may not be back until after the All-Star break due to a knee injury.
Betting Preview
The Clippers certainly could win this game so we have to take the points. The Bucks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning straight-up record.
The way both are going offensively, the Over is a no-brainer at the NBA odds. For Los Angeles residents looking to bet on this game, you can do it at our top California betting sites.
NBA Pick: Clippers +5 (-110) at BetOnline
NBA Pick: Over 231 (-110) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
