NBA Pick: Clippers -7.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
The Brooklyn Nets finally traded Kyrie Irving away to the Dallas Mavericks. The new-look Nets are going to be exciting. They’ve got plenty of young talent and high-character guys on the roster. Will that help them get passed the Los Angeles Clippers tonight? Let’s see what the NBA odds tell us at the top New York betting sites!
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Brooklyn Nets
Monday, February 6, 2023 – 07:30 PM EST at Barclays Center
The Brooklyn Nets will look to move on from the Kyrie Irving saga. The Nets traded Irving to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and draft picks. It’s unclear if those two will be ready for tonight’s game against the Clippers. But with the line set at -7.5, it seems unlikely.
The Nets are still waiting for Kevin Durant to return from injury, but there’s also speculation that he’ll want to be dealt. Only time will tell. The Nets are still a playoff team, sitting at 32-20 on the season. Here are our NBA picks and predictions for Monday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Brooklyn Nets.
Will Nets Have the Same Defensive Intensity?
The Nets have been solid defensively this season. They have allowed just 113.8 points per 100 possessions while limiting teams to a 52.5% effective field goal percentage. Brooklyn has struggled on the glass and will foul at a high rate. But ultimately, they still earned 14.2% of turnovers this season.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have been banged up all year with inconsistent lineups, like the Nets. Los Angeles has scored 112.6 points per 100 possessions, which is only 24th in the NBA.
However, the Clippers expect to have Paul George and Kawhi Leonard active for tonight’s game. The offense is usually better when those two are on the floor. They are still weak on the offensive glass, earning 25.7% rebounds. They also hold a free throw rate of 21, which is 17th in the league.
Can Brooklyn Continue to Get Good Looks?
The Nets have been very good offensively this year. They won’t have Durant or Irving, but they’ll have a team that plays well in the system. Brooklyn has scored 116.5 points per 100 possessions while shooting an effective field goal percentage of 58.4%. Maybe Cam Thomas or Edmond Sumner will step up. The offense has plenty of scoring options and could be relieved that Irving isn’t around anymore.
Brooklyn won’t have much success on the offensive glass or get to the foul line at a high rate, but turnovers should stay down against a Clippers team that has earned just 13.1% of turnovers this season.
Los Angeles has held teams to a 19.5 free throw rate and 25.5% of offensive rebounds. Opponents have only scored 113.5 points per 100 possessions and have been held to a 54% effective field goal percentage. When the Clippers are healthy, they’re as good as any team in the NBA. Defensively, they should be able to limit the Nets from good looks.
Prediction + Pick
At this time, it’s unclear if the Nets will get their new players in the game tonight. They will be relieved to get something in return for Irving. Now they can move on from the drama and have a high-character player like Spencer Dinwiddie around. He’ll be making his second appearance in a Nets uniform. He’s one of the guys that flipped the Brooklyn culture when he first arrived.
The Nets could ultimately rely on Cam Thomas as they did in their last game against Washington. It’s unlikely he’ll be as efficient against the Clippers, but he’s a bonafide scorer who can get hot at any moment. He’s like a poor man’s Lou Williams or Jamal Crawford. Those two were bucket-getters, and Thomas is that as well. He’s just still developing and only 21 years old.
On that note, I will have to side with the Clippers -7.5. There’s just too much uncertainty with the Nets right now. Brooklyn will still be a playoff team, especially when Durant comes back. They might be better off without Irving, who didn’t even play half the games throughout his tenure.
The Nets got better, but they’ll have to sort things out with their new team first. So, therefore, I’m taking the Clippers at -7.5, even on the road. I rarely do this, but the Nets will have to work out rotation minutes, chemistry, and all kinds of other stuff before they look like a playoff team again. They will, though.
NBA Pick: Clippers -7.5 (-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.
