- What: NBA Regular Season Game
- When: October 23, 2024
- Who: Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers
- Time: 7:00 p.m. PST
- Where: Intuit Dome (Inglewood, CA)
The Los Angeles Clippers will host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night in the brand-new Intuit Dome. Clippers Steve Ballmer invested over $2 billion to build the new arena in southern California.
Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs despite having star players like forward Kevin Durant and guards Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Their disappointing performance didn’t sit well, and they are expected to return stronger next season.
However, fans will have to wait to see if forward Kawhi Leonard plays. He is currently sidelined with a right knee injury.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns are gearing up to kick off the season on a positive note.
With Durant, Booker, and Beal on the roster, they should have the space and opportunity to consistently make their shots. I anticipate Durant taking the lead and capitalizing on as many mid-range shots as possible.
During the offseason, the Suns added point guard Tyus Jones to their lineup. Although it may not seem like a significant signing, Jones is expected to be their starting point guard for the foreseeable future.
SUNS BASKETBALL IS BACK! ☄️
???? @LAClippers
???? 7PM
???? @azfamily | Pregame at 6:30PM
???? @AZSports | @az_mejor
???? https://t.co/NW4LPYA30V pic.twitter.com/hgObpS5dJj— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 23, 2024
The Suns have acquired a seasoned shooter who averaged 12 points per game last year with the Washington Wizards. With his 10 years of experience, Jones will relieve Booker and Beal of some ball-handling responsibilities.
Both guards Grayson Allen and Damion Lee are likely to play in the upcoming game, while forward Josh Okogie will be sidelined due to a strained right hamstring.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers may struggle tonight. Over the last few years, nobody has dealt with injuries more than this team.
They are used to playing without their stars but their role players are more than capable of keeping this close. However, we have not seen guard James Harden lead a team in quite some time.
Get here early, #ClipperNation
You don’t want to miss everything we have in store ????⏰ https://t.co/EeG3jTolHv pic.twitter.com/JYm25TPgMG
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 23, 2024
He will be tasked with being the dominant ball handler tonight and guards Terrence Mann, Norman Powell, Kris Dunn, Bones Hyland, and even forward Kevin Porter Jr. will need to step up.
The loss of forward Paul George hurts the Clippers’ chances of being a contender this year. They will need to surprise a lot of people and more importantly, need Leonard back in the lineup to be at his best if they are going to make a run this season.
Center Mo Bamba is also out tonight alongside forward PJ Tucker.
Suns-Clippers Best Bet
The Suns are only favored by five points in this one, despite the Clippers dealing with an injury to their best player. This feels like a mistake by oddsmakers.
The improved Suns will comfortably win over the struggling Clippers, especially without Kawhi Leonard.
Although James Harden will lead the offense, I don’t think he’ll be able to lead the Clippers to a win. This Suns team has a lot of strength and unity.
The best bet in this one is Suns -5 on the spread at -110 odds.
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
