Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers Prediction: Can Norman Powell Stuff the Stat Sheet?
The battle of Los Angeles is tonight when the Lakers and Clippers face off. Can Norman Powell stuff the stat sheet? Ben Rajavuori takes a closer look with his Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers prediction.
Ben Rajavuori - February 28, 2024, 5:12 PM EST
5 minLos Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers Prediction: Can Norman Powell Stuff the Stat Sheet?
The battle of Los Angeles is back tonight as the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers battle it out in Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers are behind the Clippers in the conference standings right now, but this is expected to be a competitive game with a short spread of 3.5 points in favor of the Clippers. The Lakers are 31–28 on the season and are in 10th place in the Western Conference, while the Clippers are in fourth place in the conference with a record of 37–19. what should we expect in this game tonight?
LAKERS VS. CLIPPERS DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: February 28, 2024
- Game Time: 10:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN
LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS PREDICTION
The Clippers will be without Paul George once again tonight as he did not practice Tuesday and missed the last game with a knee injury. It marked just the fourth game missed for Paul George this season, and Norman Powell started in his place. It was the first start for Norman Powell all season, and he will be expected to start again in place of the injured Paul George. The last game against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday was Powell‘s first start of the season, and he played 37 minutes while putting up 21 points, two rebounds, and two assists. He shot 8-17 from the field and 5–9 from three. While Powell usually comes off the bench and has been seen as an afterthought behind the superstars on the Clippers, he has a very good chance to shine tonight with the injury to George. As such, his line is a little bit higher than usual at 23.5 on his PRA (points+rebounds+assists), but this line is worth taking in what will be just his second start of the season. 37 minutes marked a season-high for Powell against the Kings, which was no coincidence, and he will likely play a high volume of minutes again tonight against the Lakers. In the four games Paul George has missed this season, Norman Powell has passed 23.5 PRA in all four. The Lakers have also struggled to defend players like Powell, as they are giving up the fifth most points to shooting guards and the fifth most assists. They also give up the tenth most rebounds to shooting guards. While Powell may technically be listed as the small forward tonight in place of George, he is a guard by trade and is actually smaller than Terance Mann, so he will likely play the guard position while Mann plays more of the small forward position in place of George tonight. I do not think that this line has risen enough on Powell given the opportunity he is in tonight, and I love him to clear his line of 23.5 PRA, as he has done in all four games this season without Paul George.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS PICK
Pick: Norman Powell Over 23.5 PRA (Points+Rebounds+Assists) -115 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
NBA ODDS
