Thunder vs Clippers Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Thursday, March 23rd

Check out our free Thunder vs Clippers pick and preview for this NBA game in Los Angeles. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Thunder vs Clippers NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers
Where: Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena
Date: Thursday, March 23rd
Betting Odds LAC -3, OKC +126 | LAC -152 O/U 233.0

The Thunder come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 36-36. So far, the team has gone 44-27-1 against the spread. Over the team’s 2 game win streak, they have an average scoring differential of 2.5 points per game.

Oklahoma City is going for yet another win, as they previously defeated the Clippers. With the 101-100 victory, they also covered the spread as 7 point underdogs. The Thunder made things more interesting than they hoped, as they gave back some of their 5 point halftime lead, by being outscored in the 2nd half. In the win, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in scoring with 31 points on a field goal percentage of 48.0%.

So far, the Clippers have put together an overall record of 38-35, while going 36-36-1 vs the spread. In the teams past 3 games, their overall mark sits at 1-2. Los Angeles is 1-2 vs the spread in these matchups.

The Clippers are coming off a dissappointing 101-100 loss to the Thunder. Going into the game, they were favored to win by 7 points. Los Angeles was not able to make a comeback in this matchup, as they went into the half down by 5. Leading the team in scoring was Kawhi Leonard, as he contributed 21 points while hitting 43.8% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Thunder picked up the win 108-94 win over the Clippers. Heading into the game, Oklahoma City was the 5.5 point underdogs, giving them an ATS win. So far this season, the Thunder have a record of 3-0 vs the Clippers. Last year, the Thunder saw a drop in overall scoring when playing the Clippers, averaging 95.33 points per game. While the Thunder struggled on offense in the series, the Clippers maintained their usual level of scoring at 113.33 vs Oklahoma City. Although the Thunder have the better ATS mark across the previous 5 head-head matchups at 4-1, the average scoring margin sits in favor of Los Angeles, as they averaged 109 points per game while allowing 103. The over-under record in these same games is 2-3, with the teams combining for an average of 212 points per game.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Heading into play, the Thunder offense is rated 5th in the league in scoring, averaging 117.6 points per contest. So far, Oklahoma City is averaging 101.6 possessions per game, making them one of the more up-tempo teams in the league. If the Thunder offense is going to continue to produce at their current level, they would benefit from an improvement in their outside shooting. Currently, they are the 16th ranked team in 3-point shooting percentage.

Against the Clippers, the Thunder will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 15th in points allowed.

On offense, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder in scoring at 31.4 points per game, placing him 4th in the NBA. Overall, Gilgeous-Alexander has hit 51.0% of his shots while accounting for 22.1% of the team’s looks from the field. In today’s game, he will be working against a defensive unit that is 11th in points allowed to point-guards. At 16.1 points per game, Josh Giddey is the 2nd leading scorer for the Thunder. For the season, he is 104th in the league in player efficiency rating, while posting a field goal percentage of 48.3%.

This season, the Los Angeles offense has had their problems scoring the ball as they are a below average unit at 112.7 points per game. The Clippers come into the game as one of the league’s better 3-point shooting teams, connecting at a rate of 12.5 made 3’s per game. If the Clippers offense is going to improve, they could look to play at a faster tempo, as they currently average just 97.9 possession per game. This could benefit the team as they are currently one of the better 3-point shooting units in the NBA.

So far, the Clippers have played well defensively, as they are ranked 11th in the league at 108.39 points per contest.

Kawhi Leonard is expected to play a key role in Los Angeles’s scoring efforts against the Oklahoma City today, as Paul George is unavailable. George is the team’s leading scorer this season with 23.8 points per game. Leonard is 2nd in scoring for the team with 23.7 points per game, which ranks him 28.0th in the NBA. In his 44 games, he has hit 51.0% of his field goal attempts and is grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game.