Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Clippers NBA Betting Picks: 1/16 Prediction, Odds & Player Props

In the game of the evening, the Oklahoma City Thunder visit Los Angeles to take on the Clippers in a Nationally Televised meeting.

OKC enters the matchup the 2nd seed in the Western Conference, the Clippers sitting at 4th, both teams occupying home court advantage in the playoffs at present.

The Thunder are 5-3 in January, coming off of a loss last night in LA to the Lakers. The Clippers are 6-2 in January and 8-2 since Christmas Day, one of the hottest teams in the NBA.

The Clippers are significant favorites (-275), understandable given that they're at home and the Thunder are on a back to back. The Thunder are underdogs on the road (+220). While this game is relatively close on paper, the surrounding context provides a lot of wiggle room to get creative with bets and parlays.

It's worth noting that Clippers starting center Ivica Zubac has been listed as OUT for tonight's game.

Check out my game prediction and favorite prop bet picks below. Odds courtesy of BetMGM.

• Game Date: Tuesday, January 16th, 2024
• Game Time: 10 p.m. ET
• Spread: Clippers -6.5
• Moneyline: Clippers -275; Thunder +220
• Scoring Total: 236.5 points
• Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California.
• TV Channel: TNT

Our Thunder vs. Clipper Betting Picks & Prediction

Thunder to Cover

• Daniel Theis is a solid backup, but closer to average; the Clippers outscore teams by nearly 6 points per 100 possessions more with Zubac on the floor (OUT for tonight).
• The Thunder are 4-1 in games without a rest day in between.
• The Thunder have won the only previous matchup of the season, a blowout just before Christmas (134-115 on Dec. 21st).

Total Points Over 236.5

• The two teams went over in their first meeting.
• OKC is 4th in Offensive Rating and the Clippers are 6th, both elite offensive teams.
• With Zubac out, I would expect a step back from LA's ability to get stops on drives to the rim, where the Thunder excel.

Best Thunder vs. Clippers Moneyline Odds

Our Player Prop Picks for Thunder vs. Clippers

Thunder Winning Margin

• Books do not seem to have caught up to Zubac being out for the game.
• The Thunder lead the league in drives per game. 3rd in the league in Two-Point percentage, incredibly efficient and effective attacking the rim; Zubac is crucial to defending that.
• The Thunder have an average of +24.6 point differential in their 5 games coming off of a game the night before, typically blowing out opposition.

Chet Holmgren Blocks

• Chet averages 2.5 blocks per game.
• Without Zubac's roll threat, it feels like he'll have even more opportunity to be aggressive contesting shots.
• Holmgren had 0 blocks in the first meeting with the Clippers, which is unlikely to happen again.

Jalen Williams Alt Rebounds

• The Clippers are 20th in Defensive Rebound Percentage.
• Zubac is 12th in the NBA in Defensive Rebound Percentage (26.3%) and is not playing.
• Williams is an adept cutter, great at finding pockets to attack.