The Los Angeles Clippers have a shot at reaching the NBA Playoffs for the fourth straight season when they face off against New Orleans in Friday night’s play-in game.
A win over the Pelicans would advance the Clippers (42-20) to face the top-seeded, 64-18 Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs, tipping off Sunday.
The Clippers play New Orleans at 7 p.m. Pacific time Friday on TNT.
Here’s a breakdown of the team’s odds heading into the do-or-die play-in game.
The fate of California sports betting will be determined at the ballot box in November. Until then, Clippers fans will need to head to Arizona or Nevada to place legal wagers on their team.
Clippers Slight Favorites Over New Orleans
The Clippers are unanimous favorites over the Pelicans across a group of popular mobile sportsbooks.
The oddsmakers at Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook all have Los Angeles at -4 and -180 against New Orleans on Friday.
Clippers Are NBA Championship Longshots
The Clippers won't even reach the postseason if they lose Friday, but that hasn’t stopped national online sportsbooks from placing odds on the team to win it all.
Tyronn Lue’s squad finds itself ranked 11th, 12th or 13th out of 20 teams eligible on the mobile sportsbooks' NBA title odds boards.
The Clippers have odds that range from +3500 on BetMGM (11 out of 20 teams) to +6000 on Caesars Sportsbook (13 out of 20 teams). In between, you will find L.A. at +4200 on FanDuel Sportsbook, ranking 13th overall, and +5500 on DraftKings Sportsbook, which is good for 12th.
The Clippers have never won an NBA Championship, reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their 52-season history during the 2020-21 season.
While the Clippers are hoping to get into the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking for a new coach after unexpectedly missing the postseason.
How the Clippers Got into a Do-Or-Die Situation
The Clippers found themselves in a “win or go home” situation, thanks to losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 109-104, on Tuesday night.
L.A. lost that game despite outshooting the Timberwolves from inside and outside the 3-point arc, thanks in large part to their inability to control the glass.
The Clippers wound up being outrebounded, 49-39, while also committing four more turnovers (17 to 13) in Tuesday’s loss.
The loss overshadowed a 34-point, seven-rebound performance from guard Paul George, who finished as the only Clippers player with more than 20 points.
The Clippers couldn’t slow down Minnesota stars Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell, who combined to score 59 points.
The Clippers will need to do a better job of slowing down the Pelicans' attack come Friday to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in a half-decade.
