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The Los Angeles Lakers will host rivals LA Clippers at the Staples Center, in what will be the NBA season opener for both teams.
The Lakers had another dreadful year last season, finishing with a poor 26-56 record and obviously missing the playoffs. Nevertheless, there is excitement ahead of this season, as the Lakers hired Magic Johnson as president, while also signing a good starting center in Brook Lopez, a good defensive guard in Caldwell-Pope, and drafted the hyped up Lonzo Ball with the second pick (but lost ex-starting PG Russell, who is better than Ball at the moment).
The Clippers were knocked out by Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs last season, another post season disappointment for them. What`s worse, they lost their leader Chris Paul in the off season, but the Clippers managed to make the best of that situation. They got back a good package for Paul (Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley and other role pieces) and also signed two excellent players in Danilo Gallinari and the Euroleague legend Milos Teodosic – surely the best available replacement for Chris Paul.
Bet on LA Lakers v LA Clippers and get your 100% (100 Eur) bonus at Ohmbet now!Team news: The Lakers will miss Caldwell Pope, while Julius Randle is questionable. The Clippers have small doubts over Gallinari, Beverly and Rivers, but are expected to be at full strength according to most reports.
The Lakers are indeed probably a tiny bit better than last season, but, as usual, there is way too much hype surrounding them. Lopez and Caldwell-Pope are nice additions, but not game changers, while Lonzo Ball is without a doubt the most overrated player to come into the league in a long time. He is a nice passer, but far from a difference maker as many delusional fans expect him to be, and has been hyped up mostly because of his father (NBA fans know).
Despite losing Chris Paul, the Clippers made many nice moves and they will definitely be a playoff team again this year (barring catastrophic injuries). It`s doubtful if they are as good as they were with Paul, but they didn`t lose much quality. They have a good bench, and their new PG Teodosic will surprise many American fans – he`s a brilliant player who has been a legend in the Euroleague before finally deciding to play in the NBA this season at 30 years old. He also proved he has no problems playing against NBA opposition in the World Cup, Olympics and in this year’s preseason.
It`s more than fair to say that, at the moment, the Lakers are overrated, while the Clippers are underrated – mainly because many US fans aren`t aware of what Teodosic can do for them at PG. He`s a better player by miles than Lonzo Ball, for example.
I`m confident that soon fans will realize Lakers are more or less the same poor team they were last year, while the Clippers will be better than expected and will reach the playoffs without problems.
The Clippers lead the H2H in the last 4 years against the Lakers by 18-2! Despite all the Summer moves, these two sides are not much different in strength this year, and the Clippers remain a massive favorite.
The nail in the coffin for the Lakers should be the fact that they will miss Caldwell Pope and maybe Randle, while their opponents should have everybody available. Without Caldwell-Pope’s defense, the Lakers will suffer greatly against a strong offensive team like the Clippers, and it`s hard to see them stopping their rivals from scoring almost at will.
I find odds on the Clippers to be excellent (they aren`t even playing away, this is their arena as well), I believe they have value, and I will back the so called visitors with max stakes. My tip is the Clippers to cover the 5 point (asian) handicap. Prediction: LA Lakers – LA Clippers 100 – 120.
Pick: Clippers -5
Odds: 1.93 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 9.30
Event date: 20 October
