The Los Angeles Clippers are in danger of falling out of the No. 6 seed and into the play-in tournament field on Wednesday night when they hit the road to play the Chicago Bulls.
Los Angeles has dropped three games in a row – and has not had Norman Powell and Kawhi Leonard in back-to-back games – falling into a tie with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 6 seed.
Kawhi is off the injury report on Wednesday, a welcome sign for L.A. However, Powell has been ruled out.
With the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings all also within striking distance of the No. 6 spot, Los Angeles needs to turn things around quickly.
On Wednesday, the Clippers are road favorites against the Bulls, who are still in the play-in race in the East – even if they’d prefer to keep losing for a better draft pick.
Chicago blew out the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, opening up a bigger lead in the standings with the Brooklyn Nets also losing.
Can Chicago spoil the Clippers’ stay tonight?
Here’s a look at the latest odds, players to bet in the prop market and my prediction for Wednesday’s contest.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
Moneyline
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Clippers Injury Report
Bulls Injury Report
Los Angeles Clippers Best NBA Prop Bet
With Norman Powell out on Wednesday night, I’m buying Kawhi Leonard as a scorer against the No. 29 defense in terms of points per game allowed this season.
Kawhi had back-to-back 25-point games before he sat out both ends of a back-to-back against Indiana and Detroit with a sore foot. The Clippers star has taken 15.8 shots per game in six games this month. Even though he’s only averaging 17.3 points per game over that stretch, this is a great matchup against Chicago.
The Bulls are 26th in defensive rating and a top-three team in pace this season, so don’t be shocked if this turns into a high-scoring affair.
Chicago Bulls Best NBA Prop Bet
I’m fading Lonzo Ball on Wednesday night against the No. 3 defense in the NBA.
Over his last 12 games (11 starts), Ball has 11 or more points in just three games, averaging 8.5 points per game while shooting 32.7 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from 3.
Ball’s inefficiency is the issue here, and he lacks the burst to score as much in the paint. Over this stretch, Ball is taking 8.2 shots per game and 6.6 of those have come from beyond the arc. He’s not shooting the 3 well enough to trust him in this market.
I’m buying the Clippers in what is a must-win matchup on Wednesday night.
Chicago – despite a blowout win over Philly its last time out – has been tanking, losing seven of its last 10 games.
With Leonard expected to return to action, the Clippers should be able to fix some of the offensive issues that they’ve had since the All-Star break, scoring 111 or fewer points in every game.
Chicago is one of the worst defenses in the NBA, allowing 120.4 points per game, which is 29th in the league.
Los Angeles hasn’t been great as a road favorite (4-7 against the spread), but the return of Leonard should be enough to beat this Bulls team with Vucevic doubtful for Chicago.
Pick: Clippers -9 (-105 at DraftKings)
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