Suns vs. Clippers Picks, Predictions: Phoenix Hopes to Bounce Back from Tough Loss
The Phoenix Suns will be visiting the city of angels to play the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night. Let’s review the odds and our top Suns-Clippers NBA picks.
The Suns (1-1) and Clippers (2-0) are both projected to finish near the top of the Western Conference standings this season. Sunday's head-to-head matchup will serve as an early litmus test.
Phoenix is coming off of a tough overtime loss to the Portland Trailblazers on Friday night. On the other hand, the Clippers narrowly beat the Sacramento Kings on Saturday and will be playing the second game of a back-to-back. Forward Kawhi Leonard and guard John Wall are expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday and looking to improve their team’s record to 3-0.
Will it be enough to take down the team with best regular-season record in the NBA last season?
Check out Sunday's NBA best bets!
Here are our Suns-Clippers picks for Sunday's NBA matchup (odds via BetMGM and DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Suns vs. Clippers Game Info
Date: Sunday, Oct. 23, 10 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Suns vs. Clippers Odds
Suns vs. Clippers Odds Analysis
The spread opened at a consensus of -3 for the Clippers and moved to Phoenix -1 as of early Sunday afternoon. Phoenix has drawn 86% of the tickets and 78% of the cash on the spread.
The Over/Under has moved from 220 to 218.5 since opening. Bettors are split on the total with 92% of the tickets accounting for just 49% of the handle.
Suns vs. Clippers Picks
- Spread: Suns -1.5 (-105 via BetMGM)
- Over/Under: Under 219 (-110 via DraftKings)
- Prop: Deandre Ayton Over 18.5 points (-115 via BetMGM)
Suns vs. Clippers ATS Pick
Suns -1.5 (-105) ★★★★
While the Suns are coming off a gruelling overtime loss to the Trail Blazers on Friday night, they should be better rested than the Clippers, who escaped Sacramento with a narrow 2-point win on Saturday. It took 40 points from Paul George to get the win for the Clippers, and he will be guarded primarily by Suns forward Mikal Bridges. He should fare better than what the Kings were able to throw at George.
While the Clippers are getting Leonard and Wall back Sunday evening, they’re both likely to be on minutes limits.
The Suns are coming off a regular season that saw them finish eight games ahead of anybody else. They’re going to have something to prove following a tough loss, and their stars have all looked good to start the season. It’s a new season, but this should still be a very good basketball team. That, and the fact that the Clippers are playing the second half of a back-to-back makes me favor the Suns.
Suns vs. Clippers O/U Pick
Under 219 (-110) ★★★★
These two teams would have hit the Over in only one of their four head-to-head contests last season, and it came in their last game against each other in April. Furthermore, the teams wouldn’t have hit the Over in any of their three regular-season matchups in 2020-2021. That’s under 219 points in six or their last seven games against each other.
You can see why when you look at the defensive makeup of these teams. Both teams featured a top-10 defensive rating last season, and should both be there again this season, especially with Leonard returning to the Clippers lineup. If George isn’t capable of another major scoring night for the Clippers, and the combination of him and Leonard are enough slow down Suns guard Devin Booker, we should see a relatively low-scoring game.
Suns vs. Clippers Prop Pick
Ayton Over 18.5 points (-115) ★★★★
While there was some awkwardness this offseason between center Deandre Ayton and the Suns, both parties seem to have put that behind them. Ayton has had a good start to his season, averaging 22.0 points on 60.6% shooting from the field through two games. He had a great night in Portland on Friday, scoring 26 points in 38 minutes.
Clippers center Ivaca Zubac should provide a good test for Ayton, but the early signs are that the Suns are going to go to their star center more often this season after signing him to a four-year contract extension for big money in the summer. Although one of the games went to overtime, he’s averaging over 16 field goal attempts a game through two outings, way up from the 12 shots he took per game last season.
I think that trend will continue throughout the season, and while it won’t be easy, seeing Ayton score 19 or more points feels like good value on Sunday night.
Where to Bet on Suns vs. Clippers Picks
Check out our top-rated sportsbooks:
Suns-Clippers picks made 10/23/2022 at 11:28 a.m. ET.
Related Articles
