- The Los Angeles Clippers need a win to stay alive and force a Game 7 against the Phoenix Suns.
- The Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard for this matchup.
- The Suns have Chris Paul back, but have failed to properly integrate him into the offense.
LOS ANGELES - The Phoenix Suns failed to close out Game 5 at home to beat the Los Angeles Clippers.
Now, they’ll have to take a win from the Clippers on the road in Los Angeles, but they will be at full strength, and it’s unlikely the Clippers will be.
Chris Paul has returned to the court for the Suns, but he hasn’t been able to elevate the team to the degree one might expect. Indeed, his deliberate pace might even be hurting the team in the aggregate, as Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton tend to key off of pace and explode when they get going.
The online sportsbooks see this matchup as close to a pick ‘em, even though Paul George needed to put in perhaps his best playoff performance in order for the Clippers to win Game 5.
Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers Game 6 Moneyline Odds
- Phoenix Suns -110
- Los Angeles Clippers -110
On the moneyline, this game is a pick ‘em, with both teams having -110 odds to win the game.
Kawhi Leonard is still out for the Clippers, and it is looking increasingly likely that he will remain so for however long this series goes.
With Leonard out, the offensive burden has fallen on Paul George and Reggie Jackson, and they’ve delivered. George has scored 20 or more points in 18 consecutive playoff games, a feat previously accomplished only by Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant.
He’s in hallowed company as a playoff performer, finally living up to the Playoff P nickname he gave himself all those years ago.
For the Clippers to take this series, he’ll need to be that good and then some.
Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers Game 6 Spread Odds
- Phoenix Suns -1.0 (-105)
- Los Angeles Clippers +1.0 (-115)
Intriguingly, despite the moneyline being a straight up pick ‘em, the spread approaches the matchup a bit of a different way.
The spread for the matchup, at the time of writing (and at the same sportsbook as the moneyline above) favors the Suns by one point, but shades the matchup towards the Clippers after the spread is applied.
This is intriguing, and it could imply that there is slightly more action on the Suns than the Clippers when the odds are set as a pick ‘em. It’s also worth noting that the spread opened at Clippers -1.0 at many online sportsbooks, so this spread demonstrates some serious action on the Suns in the leadup to the game.
Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers Series Odds
- Phoenix Suns -500
- Los Angeles Clippers +350
For the series, the Clippers are still serious underdogs. After all, they aren’t even favored in a Game 6 at home.
It seems likely they’ll be somewhere in the range of +150 underdogs on the road in a potential Game 7, and they have to win this game to even get to that point. Phoenix should be able to pull off one of these two games and send the Clippers packing, especially as Kawhi seems unlikely to return.
Still, the Clippers are alive. In Game 6, they’ll look to remain so.
Online gambling fans can wager on this matchup at the online sportsbooks. It will be broadcast at 9 p.m. EST on Wednesday on ESPN.