Clippers vs Suns Prediction Odds, Pick Today | NBA Betting Preview (Tuesday, April 9)

Here's everything you need to know about Clippers vs. Suns on Tuesday, April 9 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today's game.

With just four games left to play, the Suns are clinging to the sixth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs with just a tiebreaker separating them and the seventh-place Pelicans. Four games ahead of them sit the Clippers in fourth, a team which has built a little form at long last as we approach the playoffs.

In Kawhi Leonard's absence, will the Clippers put forth an inspired performance on the road or be overcome by the team with more to play for?

Let's get into the best way to bet on this exciting matchup below.

The Clippers have handled the Suns fairly easily in this season series, taking both games by a total of points, but they've had their three best players in each of those two contests. Furthermore, their blowout win by 17 in mid-January was against a Phoenix team that was missing Kevin Durant.

So, the season series might not be the easiest to read into here, but there are certainly some things we can note. For starters, the Clippers have comfortably out-rebounded the Suns, something that's somewhat surprising given the large delta that exists between these two teams in that department over the course of the season. That's certainly something to watch, particularly with Jusuf Nurkic listed as questionable for this contest due to an ankle sprain.

The larger story here is that in both games the Clippers managed to shoot better than 50% from 3. L.A. has been slightly worse than its best offensively over the last two weeks, ranking eighth in scoring efficiency, and that's been largely due to a dip in 3-point shooting which has taken them to 15th in the NBA during this timeframe. Phoenix has done an above-average job of defending the 3 all season long and should force some more misses.

Sure, the Suns will be able to take aim at the Clippers with Durant for just the second time this year, but this offense has looked incredibly uninspired over the last two weeks. They're shooting from deep at a blistering 40.9% rate according to Cleaning the Glass and doing a good enough job at the rim, but their mid-range shooting has fallen off a cliff and their turnover issues have persisted. The Clippers have forced a whopping 31 turnovers in two games against the Suns, but it's worth noting here that without Leonard on the floor L.A. is forcing two fewer turnovers per 100 possessions.

The mid-range shooting is a concern here given the sheet volume of these shots the Suns take, and the Clippers have done an exceptional job in this shooting zone all season long. Their 3-point defense has been suspect at times, but their numbers remain right at the league average. Phoenix was able to knock down 42.9% of shots from outside in the lone game in the season series Durant played, so perhaps all hope isn't lost.

Furthermore, the Suns have shot a hot 39.1% from beyond the arc at home this season and the Clippers' 3-point defense has gotten two percentage points worse with Leonard on the bench this year.

Phoenix should be able to remain hot from beyond the arc in this one without Leonard on the floor, but I don't know if its 3-point defense is quite sharp enough to keep a very solid shooting group at bay and run away with this one. The Clippers' 3-point barrage was hardly all due to Leonard's presence, and the Clippers have begun to shoot it better with better than a 40% mark in the games sandwiched around a hard-fought win over the Nuggets which saw them shoot just 21.2%.

L.A. is rolling right now with six wins in its last seven, almost all of which have come against quality opponents. Praying that this team will miss 3s isn't exactly the best way to approach this one, and even if the Suns do shoot well from outside there are still some real concerns here with how the team has turned the ball over and rebounded in the two meetings between these sides.

I'll grab the points here with the shorthanded Clippers, fading the narrative here which would lead you to the team with more to play for.

Pick: Clippers +7 (-110)

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