by Chuck Sommers
Sunday, Feb 06, 2022
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Where to watch: BSSC, BSWI
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Bucks -5.5
WynnBet: -5
Caesars: NL
Season record
Bucks: 33-21 (3rd, East)
Clippers: 27-27 (8th, West)
Will Rogers had a productive week going 6-2-0 in the NBA in what was rather an off week. What more can be done here to keep this run going? Check out what his plays are for Sunday and find out! Catch Will's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Bucks - Clippers preview, analysis and prediction
Just when you want to count out the Los Angeles Clippers from anything nowadays, they go out and make the trade that they made the other day.
We really won't have any idea if Norman Powell and Robert Covington will actually make the impact that is expected upon both of them, as the Clippers gear up for another playoff run. But it will be interesting to see how head coach Tyronn Lue deploys both of these guys going forward.
Both newly acquired forwards are expected to make their Clippers debut on Sunday when Los Angeles takes on the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, and if they do in fact end up playing I'm going to take the interesting approach that I don't normally do: I will take the home team in an inspired effort to takedown The Champs.
The fact that the Clippers have the record that they have at this moment has got to be considered one of the most impressive things that we've seen this season. No Paul George, no Kawhi Leonard, but the Clippers are very much into the thick of things in this Western Conference playoff picture.
Now with the Clippers adding Covington and Powell to not only provide options offensively but knowing what they're going to get out of those two defensively is just as important. The Clippers have been able to put up points. We've seen them many times this year with the bare-bones lineup they throw out onto the court every single night that they can score the basketball even without their two superstars.
But Covington adds that three-point marksman ability that allows the Clippers to stretch the floor from the frontcourt. We've also seen Covington show the ability to play all five positions on defense, and knowing that they could have the help they need in the interior is going to help them a great deal going forward.
Powell showed what kind of player he has the capability of becoming with the Portland Trail Blazers but the development of Anfernee Simmons allowed Portland to part ways with their young guard. Powell brings not just a 3-and-D mentality but his athleticism also adds an element that the Clippers sorely needed on this team without their two stars.
The Clippers are coming off a very impressive one-point victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Now I know what you're going to say. It was the Lakers, it was without LeBron James, there's really no reason to pat the Clippers on the back for that win. And I fully understand that, but it's the way the clippers were able to win that game.
Reggie Jackson scored 25 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists; Serge Ibaka is back healthy and had 20 points along with eight rebounds. But the one player that we don't seem to talk about enough when it comes to the Clippers is Marcus Morris, knowing at any moment he has the capability to go off for an easy 20 points. He had 29 and he made six three-pointers and the Clippers victory, given that the team shot almost 52% from the field.
"I thought it was a good chess match back and forth. Coach (Frank) Vogel did a good job trying to keep me off balance," Lue said.
We really won't have any idea if Norman Powell and Robert Covington will actually make the impact that is expected upon both of them, as the Clippers gear up for another playoff run. But it will be interesting to see how head coach Tyronn Lue deploys both of these guys going forward.
Both newly acquired forwards are expected to make their Clippers debut on Sunday when Los Angeles takes on the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, and if they do in fact end up playing I'm going to take the interesting approach that I don't normally do: I will take the home team in an inspired effort to takedown The Champs.
The fact that the Clippers have the record that they have at this moment has got to be considered one of the most impressive things that we've seen this season. No Paul George, no Kawhi Leonard, but the Clippers are very much into the thick of things in this Western Conference playoff picture.
Now with the Clippers adding Covington and Powell to not only provide options offensively but knowing what they're going to get out of those two defensively is just as important. The Clippers have been able to put up points. We've seen them many times this year with the bare-bones lineup they throw out onto the court every single night that they can score the basketball even without their two superstars.
But Covington adds that three-point marksman ability that allows the Clippers to stretch the floor from the frontcourt. We've also seen Covington show the ability to play all five positions on defense, and knowing that they could have the help they need in the interior is going to help them a great deal going forward.
Powell showed what kind of player he has the capability of becoming with the Portland Trail Blazers but the development of Anfernee Simmons allowed Portland to part ways with their young guard. Powell brings not just a 3-and-D mentality but his athleticism also adds an element that the Clippers sorely needed on this team without their two stars.
The Clippers are coming off a very impressive one-point victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Now I know what you're going to say. It was the Lakers, it was without LeBron James, there's really no reason to pat the Clippers on the back for that win. And I fully understand that, but it's the way the clippers were able to win that game.
Reggie Jackson scored 25 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists; Serge Ibaka is back healthy and had 20 points along with eight rebounds. But the one player that we don't seem to talk about enough when it comes to the Clippers is Marcus Morris, knowing at any moment he has the capability to go off for an easy 20 points. He had 29 and he made six three-pointers and the Clippers victory, given that the team shot almost 52% from the field.
"I thought it was a good chess match back and forth. Coach (Frank) Vogel did a good job trying to keep me off balance," Lue said.
And normally I would not want to put any negative thought about the Bucks on this night. But Milwaukee is playing on the second night of a back-to-back, despite manhandling the new look Blazers by 29 points on Saturday. There is still the aspect of travel despite being a West Coast road trip, that factor always needs to be taken into account. Giannis Antetokounmpo was not even the best player on this night, and anytime he goes for 29 points, 9 rebounds, and six assists, he normally is that guy.
On this night that belonged to Bobby Portis scoring 30 points and missing only two of his 13 shot attempts. The big man replacing brook Lopez also made 6 3 pointers to go along with five assists and four rebounds.
"Sometimes I need to encourage him to shoot when he's open. Tonight he needed no encouragement once he made a couple. I love it when he's that aggressive, that confident and willing to just let it fly. He was special tonight," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said about Portis.
If the bucks can get that kind of production from Portis despite an off night from Khris Middleton, the Bucks are going to be a tough team to beat on any given circumstance. But I can't in good conscience totally eliminate the idea that the Clippers are going to play inspired basketball with their two new players in the fold, and that's why even if the Clippers are underdogs in this fight, I would highly recommend taking the points and cash in on that underdog status. Watch how that line fluctuates over the course of the next few hours but if it starts to go completely off the rails, make sure you take advantage of that when you can. Clippers by 8
Betting trends
The over is 48-33 in the Bucks' non-conference games the past three seasons.
The Bucks are 0-6 ATS after two days rest this season.
The Clippers are 32-25 ATS an an underdog over the past three years.
Projected starting lineup
Bucks:
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Grayson Allen
SF: Khris Middleton
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Bobby Portis
SF: Khris Middleton
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Bobby Portis
Clippers:
PG: Reggie Jackson
SG: Norman Powell
SF: Marcus Morris Sr.
PF: Nicolas Batum
C: Ivica Zubac
SF: Marcus Morris Sr.
PF: Nicolas Batum
C: Ivica Zubac
Key injuries
Bucks: George Hill (out)
Clippers: None
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
