Despite being down key rotation pieces, the Clippers have rattled off some big wins and are getting solid contributions from role players being thrust into more meaningful minutes. Amir Coffey is one who will help propel LA to victory vs. Sacramento.
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The Los Angeles Clippers recently lost leading scorer Norman Powell to injury, but they haven’t lost a step, riding a three-game winning streak into tonight’s meeting with the Sacramento Kings.
Sacramento will get Demar DeRozan back but with Los Angeles starting to cook at Intuit Dome, my Kings vs. Clippers predictions are siding with the home team.
Let’s hand out some NBA picks on Friday, November 22 with tip at 10:30 p.m. ET.
My best bet
Clippers moneyline (+130 at bet365)
My analysis
This is a game that should be won and lost from the mid-range, which doesn’t do a whole lot to sell this as a watchable affair but does promise something in terms of an edge in the betting market.
Both the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers sit inside the Top 5 in shot frequency from this zone, according to Cleaning the Glass, and it’ll make for an interesting matchup. The Clippers have sat seventh in defending the mid-range, but they should be tested against the team that has knocked down jumpers inside the arc at the highest clip in the league.
On the flip side, the Clippers are just below league-average offensively from mid-range, and while they won’t have Norman Powell, they will be shooting against the worst mid-range defense in the NBA.
So, it really comes down to which offense you trust more. DeMar DeRozan should help Sacramento in theory, but he’s taking the ball out of the hands of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, which might make moving the ball something of an issue. The Kings also shot an abysmal 3-for-26 from downtown against the Clippers the last time these teams met, allowing L.A. to shoot 46.7% and snatch the game away.
The Kings are suspect against the 3-ball, while the Clippers have been above-average in defending the arc, so I’m not certain those numbers will swing dramatically.
I’m also a huge fan of this Clippers bench, with Kevin Porter creating shots and Amir Coffey knocking down plenty of catch-and-shoot opportunities.
They’ve scored at a decent clip lately even as they endure Norm Powell’s absence and a brutal shooting season from James Harden. With that, I’m inclined to back this sudden home juggernaut, which has won six straight at the Intuit Dome after dropping their first four there.
Harden had never ranked higher than the 46th percentile in the NBA in shot frequency from the mid-range, sitting in the bottom 40% or lower since 2015, but he’s taken a career-high 33% of shots in this area to sit just outside the Top 40% in 2024-25.
While he hasn’t knocked too many down, he’s at least drawn a plethora of fouls once again and should be well-positioned for a rare scoring night, particularly with LA leaning on him more without Powell. He just missed this mark by one point the last time these teams met, and he should fly over It with increased volume.
Speaking of more volume, Coffey has averaged 31.2 minutes in the last two games as he steps in for Powell, and he’s delivered 15 or more points in each contest. Like Harden, he takes a lot of shots from the mid-range, but he’s shooting a spicy 45% from that zone, unlike Harden.
Both of these men have been excellent from three, too, and the Kings have defended the arc at the third-worst clip in the league. With Coffey, in particular, ranking inside the Top 5% in outside shooting, both men should feature tonight.
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The LA Clippers have covered the 1Q Spread in 28 of their last 42 games (+12.00 Units / 25% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Kings vs. Clippers.
Location: | Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA |
Date: | Friday, 11-22-2024 |
Tip-off: | 10:30 p.m. ET |
TV: | NBCS-CA, FDSN SoCal |
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