Two of the best teams in the Western Conference face off in the NBA’s return from the All-Star break on Thursday night.
The No. 3-seeded Los Angeles Clippers head to Oklahoma City to take on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have a half-game lead on the Clippers, sitting in the No. 2 spot in the West.
These teams have split the two matchups this season, with the Thunder winning by 19 at home and the Clippers picking up an 11-point win in Los Angeles back on Jan. 16.
With the Western Conference standings changing each day with how close these top squads are, a head-to-head win for either team would go a long way to securing a top playoff spot in the West this season.
The Thunder are favored, slightly, at home on Thursday night, but does that mean they’re worth a bet?
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Let’s break down the latest odds and my best bet for this Western Conference showdown on Thursday:
Clippers vs. Thunder odds, spread and total
Clippers vs. Thunder how to watch
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 22
- Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: Paycom Center
- How to watch (TV): Bally Sports Oklahoma, Bally Sports SoCal, Bally Sports San Diego
- Clippers record: 36-17
- Thunder record: 37-17
Clippers vs. Thunder injury reports
Clippers injury report
- P.J. Tucker – day-to-day
- Bones Hyland – day-to-day
Thunder injury report
- Gordon Hayward – day-to-day
- Bismack Biyombo – day-to-day
Clippers vs. Thunder key players to watch
Los Angeles Clippers
Paul George: The Clippers are going to need more from Paul George if they truly want to make a run at the NBA Finals, as the star wing is averaging just 17.8 points per game over his last 12 contests. George is still averaging over 22 points per game on the season, but he’s shot just 41.7 percent from the field and 28.2 percent from 3 over this 12-game stretch. Hopefully, the All-Star break will help him turn things around for L.A.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Jalen Williams: There’s no doubt that Williams has been one of the most impressive young players in the game this season, and he’s pushing a 50/40/90 season. Williams is averaging 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the field, 45.3 percent from 3, and 81.1 percent from the line. He could be the key for the Thunder in the second half as the co-star to MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Clippers vs. Thunder prediction and pick
There are a couple of key trends that favor OKC in this matchup, and it lines up with the previous results between these teams this season.
The Thunder are one of the best teams in the NBA as home favorites, going 15-7 ATS. They are 18-9 against the spread overall at Paycom Center this season.
As for the Clippers, the team has struggled on the road, going just 3-5 ATS as a road underdog, including the loss to the Thunder earlier this season. Los Angeles has thrived when favored, but the team is just 3-6 ATS overall as an underdog, the third-worst mark in the NBA.
These teams are No. 2 and No. 5 in net rating on the season, so this should be a close game, but I still think OKC can cover the two-point spread. The Thunder are 2-0 ATS when favored by two or fewer points at home, and they were favored by 6.5 points against Los Angeles the last time these teams played in OKC.
Even with oddsmakers viewing the current Clippers as 4.5 points better than they were the first time these teams met, I still think the value is on the Thunder to stay hot at home.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.