Los Angeles Clippers vs Phoenix Suns Prediction, 1/3/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Los Angeles Clippers vs Phoenix Suns

Date: Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Location: Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ

TV: AZ Family Sports Network

The Phoenix Suns (18-15) will try to beat the Los Angeles Clippers (20-12) at Footprint Center on Wednesday.

The Clippers faced the Heat and went home with a win by a final score of 121-104 in their last game. Regarding personal fouls, the Clippers ended up finishing with 20 while the Heat finished the game with 17 personal fouls. They also buried 11 of 34 attempts from beyond the arc. Miami finished shooting 79.3% from the free throw line by converting 23 of 29 shots. Furthermore, Miami collected 35 boards (12 offensive, 23 defensive) and added 3 rejections. Miami distributed 24 dimes and had 7 steals in this matchup. In regard to the defense, Los Angeles let their opponent shoot 42.2% from the field on 35 of 83 shooting. They also dished out 25 dimes for the contest while forcing 13 turnovers and earning 10 steals. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they earned 37 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Clippers converted 13 of 14 attempts for a percentage of 92.9%. Los Angeles ended the contest with a 58.8% field goal percentage (47 out of 80) and converted 14 out of their 29 three-point shots.

Kawhi Leonard is someone who was a contributor for the contest. He accounted for 24 points on 10 of 19 shooting. He saw the court for 34 mins and also totaled 6 boards. Leonard finished 52.6% from the floor and also distributed 5 dimes.

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Los Angeles will enter this contest with a mark of 20-12 for the season. They turn the ball over 13.4 times per game and as a team are committing 20.1 fouls per game. As a unit, Los Angeles is collecting 43.8 rebounds per game and has tallied 813 assists this season, which is 22nd in the league in terms of passing the ball. The Clippers are hitting 38.0% on shots from downtown (401 of 1,054) and 80.5% from the free throw line. They have an average of 116.7 pts per contest (10th in the NBA) while shooting 48.8% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Clippers are forcing their opponents into 13.6 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 20.3 personal fouls. They currently rank 12th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 836 conceded for the campaign. The Clippers defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 45.8% (1,303 of 2,847) and they relinquish 42.3 rebounds per contest as a group. They surrender 35.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 7th in the NBA in PPG allowed (111.9).

For their last game, the Suns took home the win by a final score of 109-88 against the Trail Blazers. When talking about how they rebounded, Phoenix allowed Portland to collect 36 overall (6 offensive). They finished 26.7% from beyond the perimeter by going 8 of 30 and finished the game at 14 out of 19 from the free throw line (73.7%). The Suns permitted the Trail Blazers to make 33 of their 80 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 41.3% in this contest. Overall, the Suns shot 38 out of 80 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.5%. In relation to shots from beyond the arc, Phoenix made 11 of their 29 tries (37.9%). They were able to convert 22 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 66.7%. The Trail Blazers earned 19 fouls in this contest which took the Suns to the charity stripe for a total of 33 tries. They also coughed it up 16 times, while getting 10 steals for the contest. The Suns were able to snag 38 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards for a total of 47 for this game.

Bradley Beal was important for the Suns in the matchup. He knocked down 8 out of 16 for the contest giving him a rate of 50.0%, and accounted for 4 rebounds. Beal totaled 21 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 1 assist in the game.

Phoenix has a mark of 18-15 on the year. The Suns are committing 18.8 personal fouls every game and they shoot 82.3% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 26.1 times per contest (15th in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.8 times per contest. Phoenix has accounted for 3,803 points so far this season (115.2 per game) and they grab 43.8 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Suns are shooting 47.8% from the field, which is 12th in the league.

The Phoenix defense surrenders 36.2% on shots from distance (413 of 1,142) and opponents are connecting on 79.6% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 25.1 assists and 40.6 boards per contest, which ranks them 7th and 1st in basketball. The Suns on the defensive end are ranked 13th in the NBA in points given up per game with 113.6. They are forcing their opponents into 12.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 46.2% from the field (7th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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