NBA: LA Clippers vs. Philadelphia 76ers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The LA Clippers visit the Philadelphia 76ers this Friday night. It is quite an interesting matchup even though the hosts enter it as big favorites. The LAC has three defeats in the last four games and a very tough schedule behind them. The 76ers are better, with three wins in four events, going up in the standings, carried by fantastic Joel Embiid, who is playing at the MVP level. We really have to stress out the Process’ super performances lately.

Preview

LA Clippers (22-24, +333) had a very exhausting contest in Denver, which they lost after OT, 130-128. The Clips couldn’t restrain Nikola Jokic, who smashed them with 49 points. As said, this was the third defeat for the Clippers in the last four contests, all of them away from home.

Versus Denver, LAC shot well from the floor, 53.6%, having 15 threes scored, and 64 points from the pain delivered, which was the same productivity as their rival’s. Though, the difference was free throws, as the Clippers shot 9-for-12 and the Nuggets 21-for-25.

Ivica Zubac was masterful in offense, scoring 32 points on Jokic with 10 boards, having six of them on the offensive side. Reggie Jackson also had a double-double with 28 points and 12 boards, while Brandon Boston Jr. scored 16 off the bench. Eric Bledsoe contributed with 13 also off the bench.

Philadelphia 76ers (26-18, -450) saw monstrous Joel Embiid against the Orlando Magic. The Big fella scored 50 points, needing the second-fastest time in NBA history to do so – 27 minutes. Philly ended up on the winning side, 123-110, showing a solid form. Embiid had 12 rebounds and three blocks, shooting 17-for-23 and missing two of his 17 free throws.

Tobias Harris scored 21 buckets with four boards and assists. The power forward has been in the middle of trade talks in the last several days, and it seems that all that publicity forced him to snap out following a mild start of the campaign.

Tyrese Maxey had 14 buckets, while Georges Niang ended with 10, closing the list of Philly players with a double-digit number of points. What was problematic was the three-point shooting, with only 10 hits in 28 shots. That needs to be better in the upcoming events.

Head to Head Games

The Clippers and the 76ers didn’t meet this year. In the 2020/21 campaign, we saw one win on both sides, with the teams using their home-court advantage. The first events in LA ended with LAC’s 122-112 victory, while the second in Philly concluded 106-103 for the hosts.

Prediction

The LAC is mediocre on the road, and they aren’t winning too many games away from Crypto.com Arena. Without Kawhi and George, they are an average unit, so results on the road shouldn’t surprise you at all. As for the 76ers, they look much better, and are on the rise in the last few events. Doc Rivers’ unit rarely loses the games at Wells Fargo Center, and we believe that they won’t miss a chance to post a win in this one as well. The Clippers are banged up and tired, making them a perfect victim for the hosts.

Prediction: 76ers win

Here is the preview for the Rockets vs. Warriors game.