Lakers vs. Clippers Prediction and Odds February 4: The Battle for LA Adds a New Character

The Los Angeles Lakers (28-19) will go toe-to-toe with their in-city rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers (28-21), on Tuesday night.

The big news coming out of the Lakers camp is Saturday’s unprecedented trade, which saw Anthony Davis and Max Christie go to Dallas for Luka Doncic and supplementary pieces. Doncic will not be available for this game due to a calf strain, although the Lakers won eight of their last 10 games.

The Clippers recently climbed out of the Play-In Tournament position and are sixth in the Western Conference. They took down the purple and gold 116-102 thanks to four starters scoring at least 19 points when they met on Jan. 19 and are 17-8 in their building.

Here, we will preview the matchup and break down our best Lakers vs. Clippers betting picks.

Lakers vs. Clippers Betting Odds for Tuesday, February 4

The Lakers are 24-22 (52.2 percent) against the spread, 11-13-1 (45.8 percent) ATS on the road, and 11-9 (55 percent) ATS as an underdog. 

The Clippers are 30-19 (61.2 percent) ATS, 18-7 (72 percent) ATS at home, and 16-8 (66.7 percent) ATS as a favorite.

Odds for the Lakers vs. Clippers game are courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Head over to BetMGM to place your bets and Get Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets*.

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Lakers vs. Clippers Prediction

Los Angeles Lakers Preview

The Lakers won their last four games without Anthony Davis, the most recent of which was a commanding 128-112 performance on the road against the Knicks. Their recent surge has seen them reach seventh in offensive and fourth in defensive rating with a +10.3 (third) net rating over their last 10 games. 

Wins during that stretch came against teams such as the Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat.

Despite that, Tuesday’s game presents a significant challenge. They no longer employ who was their best defender by a mile, Davis, and Christie was their point-of-attack defender who shot 39.2 percent from three in January.

That leaves coach JJ Redick in an interesting predicament. He has options, but each comes with their set of pros and cons.

One option is to start Dorian Finney-Smith and cross-match him as the point-of-attack guy in place of Christie and shrink the bench rotation. He could also start Gabe Vincent in a more like-for-like swap, although Vincent shot 32.8 percent from three, and the team’s offensive rating dropped 3.7 points with him on the floor compared to their season average.

Coach JJ Redick could also take the opportunity to reintegrate rookie sharpshooter Dalton Knecht, who started 12 games. This seems unlikely, however, as Knecht has fallen in the rotation and played just 10 minutes in his last game.

Regardless of who fills out the empty space, the Lakers are playing their best ball of the year. They’re a season-high nine games above .500, which makes the impending addition of Doncic, who could make his debut on Saturday, all the more intriguing.

Without Davis on the floor, the Lakers are a weak team on the glass. They also have very little rim protection and find themselves vulnerable to lob threats and second-chance points.

They also still are not a strong three-point shooting team, which means they have to play a low-turnover game and shoot efficiently inside the arc.

Los Angeles Clippers Preview

The Clippers won 10 of their last 14 games, although they fell to the Toronto Raptors on the road their last time on the floor. They’ve been quiet in trade talks with Thursday’s deadline approaching, which may not be the worst thing in the world given their recent success.

LA ranks first in defensive rating over its last 15 games, even above the impressive standard set by the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s only 14th in offensive rating during that time, but its +8.9 net rating is second-best in the league and even ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are second in defensive and 20th in offensive rating for the year as a whole, resulting in a +3.4 net rating (eighth).

We already mentioned the Lakers’ struggles on the glass, especially without Davis in the fold. That’s a major advantage for the Clips, who are seventh in rebound rate (but only 21st in second-chance points per game).

The James Harden-Ivica Zubac pick-and-roll should cause problems for the Lakers. Jaxson Hayes and whoever fills in at center will struggle mightily to defend Zubac’s lob threat, while Finney-Smith is the only Lakers player with the size and defensive savvy to continually negotiate the screen while maintaining a solid presence against Harden. 

The Clippers enter the matchup cold from the outside, ranking 24th at 34.4 percent shooting from outside in January. They held their opponents to 34.3 percent (sixth) during that stretch, though that will matter less against an interior-focused Lakers squad.

It’s also worth noting that the Clippers’ net rating swells +4.6 points to +8.0 when they’re at home. The Lakers are more than three points per 100 possessions worse on the road, though this is far from a traditional road game given the two teams are in the same city.

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Lakers vs. Clippers Betting Pick

• Lakers vs. Clippers pick: Clippers -8.5 (-105) at BetMGM

The iron is still hot on the trade machine. There’s a chance Doncic is in attendance for his first game as a member of the Lakers, even if he’s sidelined by his calf.

The Clippers’ defensive intensity will prove to be an issue if James doesn’t have his best stuff in the absence of another player, Davis, who is capable of going for 30. The Lakers’ vulnerabilities defending the pick-and-roll are also a glaring concern. 

The Clippers took down the Lakers just a couple of weeks ago and get to face a weakened version of their roster at home. We’d lay the points with them, given they’re the best team ATS at home and the third-best team ATS as a favorite.

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How to Watch Lakers v. Clippers on 2/4/25

• When: Tuesday, February 4 @ 7:00/10:00 p.m. PT/ET

• Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA

• TV: TNT/truTV/Max

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