Sean Barnard details his preview and prediction for Sunday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Opening up a nine-game NBA slate, the Los Angeles Clippers will take on the Milwaukee Bucks.

This is the second and final matchup between these two teams this year. The Clippers secured a 129-96 win in their previous matchup, which took place on Monday. Milwaukee has officially been eliminated from postseason contention, while Los Angeles sits in eighth place in the Western Conference. 

Looking at the odds for tonight, the Clippers enter as 15.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Bucks hold +675 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total set at 221.5 points.

Let’s dive into a preview and prediction for the Sunday afternoon matchup.

Clippers at Bucks Preview

It has been a strange season for the Los Angeles Clippers. They got off to a brutal start to the year, going 6-21 through the first 27 games. The Clippers then ripped off a stretch where they won 17 of their next 21 to climb back into the Western Conference mix, but they traded James Harden and Ivica Zubac at the deadline. Los Angeles now sits in eighth place in the Western Conference with a 38-36 overall record and is looking to finish the season strong. The Clippers are 39-35 against the spread, and the game total is 37-37 in the over/under on the season.

Despite the roster turnover around him, Kawhi Leonard has continued to look like one of the best players in all of basketball. The two-time Finals MVP is averaging a career-high 28.3 points per game, along with 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Bennedict Mathurin arrived as the primary trade return of the Zubac deal and is averaging 19.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists across his first 18 games with the franchise. Darius Garland has also started to settle in, averaging 21.8 points and 6.7 assists across his first 12 games in Los Angeles. Bradley Beal remains sidelined with a hip fracture, and rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser will miss time due to a Lisfranc issue. Derrick Jones Jr. and Brook Lopez also play key roles on the roster.

The Clippers are scoring at the seventh-worst rate in the NBA this season at 113.8 points per game. They rank 10th in offensive rating, third in field-goal percentage, seventh in three-point percentage and 28th in pace this year. Defensively, Los Angeles ranks 10th in opponent points allowed at 112.5 points per game. The Clippers also rank 19th in defensive rating, 12th in opponent field-goal percentage and 26th in opponent three-point percentage.

The season has fully slipped into disaster for the Milwaukee Bucks, with the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga derailing much of the year. Milwaukee has been eliminated from playoff contention. It sits in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with a 29-44 overall record. On the season, the Bucks have gone 31-42 against the spread, and the game total has remained under in 41 of their 73 games played.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Porter Jr., Bobby Portis and Gary Harris will each miss this matchup. Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma and Ryan Rollins are all listed as questionable, and it is worth noting this is the second night of a back-to-back after the Bucks lost to the Spurs 127-95 last night. Of the available players, expect Ousmane Dieng, A.J. Green, Taurean Prince and Andre Jackson Jr. to play significant roles.

Doc Rivers’ squad is scoring 110.4 points per game, which ranks 29th in the NBA. The Bucks also rank 25th in offensive rating, ninth in field-goal percentage and second in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 116.7 points per game against Milwaukee, which ranks 20th in the league. Milwaukee also ranks 26th in defensive rating, 17th in opponent field-goal percentage and 28th in opponent three-point percentage allowed.

Clippers at Bucks Prediction, Best Bet

Neither of these organizations is likely thrilled with their outlook on the season. But the Clippers have far more to play for and will put this on display in this matchup. The Bucks have thrown in the towel on the season, and they could still maximize their lottery odds by slipping below the Bulls in the standings. In contrast, the Clippers could theoretically climb above the Suns in the standings and are fighting off the Trail Blazers and Warriors on their tail.

In the first matchup between these two teams, the Clippers produced a 129-96 win. Los Angeles stretched the lead to as large as 46 and led for 95% of the matchup. Less than a week later, expect similar results in this game.

When Antetokounmpo is on the floor, you can talk yourself into the vision for this Bucks team. The organization made a clear effort to surround its superstar with low-usage players who are excellent catch-and-shoot threats on the perimeter. But when the two-time MVP is off the floor, the weaknesses in the skillsets of the rest of the roster are put on display. The Bucks enter this matchup having lost 13 of their last 16 and only covered the spread in four of these games.

Kawhi Leonard will be the best player on the floor by a comfortable margin, and the Bucks will have no answer for the Clippers star. Count on the lack of reliable offensive creators to limit the outlook for this Bucks team and for the Clippers to score at a rate that they cannot match. Los Angeles comfortably covered the 13.5-point spread in the first matchup between these two teams, and expect more of the same tonight. Milwaukee lacks the avenues of offense to keep this matchup close, and expect this game to get ugly early.

Best Bet: Clippers -15.5 (-110)