The Los Angeles Clippers will have to face the Phoenix Suns in the opening round without Paul George — at least to start. George is a crucial part of their rotation, and most books now expect the Suns to roll. However, FanDuel and DraftKings have left too much value on the Ivica Zubac and Russell Westbrook player prop markets for Game 1 of the Clippers-Suns series. Check out OddsShopper’s tools for other sharp plays, including our Parlay Builder!
Clippers-Suns Game 1 NBA Player Prop | Ivica Zubac
Ivica Zubac O/U 9.5 Rebounds
A key question for the Clippers-Suns series is whether head coach Tyronn Lue will have his team play small. He pivoted to a small-ball lineup in the opening round of the 2021 playoffs, and that decision helped the Clippers score a massive series win over the Dallas Mavericks. Lue only pivoted back to using Zubac for more than 24 minutes per game halfway through the series against the Phoenix Suns.
These Phoenix Suns are quite different from the 2021 version. Gone are several key role players like Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges. Replacing them is one of the NBA’s best scorers: Kevin Durant. Without George, the Clippers will struggle to keep up with Phoenix’s high-powered offense. Lue has a number of players he could use as a small-ball five, including Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington and Marcus Morris Sr. He also has another traditional five, Mason Plumlee, to rotate in for Zubac.
Because of the chance Lue decides to go small again, fading Zubac in the rebounding column makes sense. He averaged only 17.7 minutes and 5.8 rebounds per game in the 2021 playoffs across a 17-game sample and beat this number in only four games. Zubac has also struggled against Deandre Ayton and is averaging only 7.7 rebounds per game against him in 10 regular-season starts against him for the Clippers, beating this number only three times. Let’s buy the under at -115 via FanDuel Sportsbook and hope Lue does what we’ve seen him do before. Readers yet to register there can score $150 in bonus bets with a $5 wager!
Best Clippers-Suns Player Prop: Ivica Zubac Under 9.5 Rebounds -115 for 1 Unit at FanDuel
Clippers-Suns Game 1 NBA Player Prop | Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook O/U 25.5 Points & Assists
I expect Zubac to step back and Russell Westbrook to step up in this playoff series. Westbrook has had to play nine games for the Clippers without Paul George, and he averaged 27.2 points and assists through that stretch. He beat this number in five of those games, including his matchup with Phoenix’s reserves on the final day of the regular season. George’s injury has forced Tyronn Lue to play Westbrook for 30.5 minutes per game, and he should see even more run in the playoffs.
Westbrook has played exceptionally well against Chris Paul. He is averaging 32.2 points and assists per game against him since his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he beat this number in all but one of their meetings. The Suns have played stingy defense all season but have fallen off slightly since the Durant deal. With Durant, Booker and Paul likely to share the floor for even more time during the playoffs, Westbrook is unlikely to draw primary coverage from a positive defender very often. Paul and Booker both own negative defensive RAPTOR scores.
Westbrook also deserves credit for his playoff record. The last time he saw postseason action, he averaged 30.8 points and assists for the Washington Wizards. He is averaging 32.5 points and assists in the postseason for his career. Although the Clippers aren’t asking Westbrook to do as much as he did earlier in his career, there’s still plenty of value on the over. Let’s punch it in at -105 via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Clippers-Suns Player Prop: Russell Westbrook Over 25.5 Points & Assists -105 for 1 Unit at DraftKings
