The Los Angeles Clippers will remain without their superstars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, for yet another game. That bodes poorly for their chances against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. Head coach Tyronn Lue doesn’t have much left to pull out of his bag of tricks, and DraftKings and FanDuel have left too much value on the Russell Westbrook and Josh Okogie player prop markets for Game 5 of the Clippers-Suns series. If you’re looking for more plays, check out OddsShopper’s tools for other sharp plays, including our Parlay Builder!
Clippers-Suns Game 5 NBA Player Prop | Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook O/U 8.5 Assists
In his post-game interview after Game 4, Russell Westbrook mentioned doing more to set up his teammates. He brought this up despite scoring a whopping 37 points on 17-for-29 from the field. Westbrook is a selfless player, and with both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George sidelined, he is the best available ball handler for Tyronn Lue’s Clippers.
Despite an underwhelming final assist number in Game 4, the volume was there for Westbrook. He touched the ball 93 times and racked up 57 passes on his way to just four assists. However, he had touched the ball 92 times and racked up 60 passes in Game 3, which resulted in a whopping 12 assists. Westbrook is averaging 7.8 assists per game without George and 9 assists per game without Leonard since joining the Clippers.
Let’s back Westbrook to benefit from some regression tonight. The Clippers star will likely face more aggressive defensive coverage from Phoenix that will limit his shot volume while creating opportunities for his teammates to make plays. He played 40 minutes in both Games 3 and 4, so expect him to stick on the floor even through cold spells as the Clippers look to keep their season alive.
We can lock in the over 8.5 at only -113 (53.1%) via FanDuel Sportsbook, which makes for a solid value relative to the rest of the market. DraftKings has the over priced at -115 (53.5) while Pinnacle, a sharp book, has it at -117 (53.9%). Readers yet to register at FanDuel can take advantage of a great offer until the end of the month — sign up with them today to score $150 in bonus bets after placing a $5 wager!
Best Clippers-Suns Player Prop: Russell Westbrook Over 8.5 Assists -113 for 1 Unit at FanDuel
Clippers-Suns Game 5 NBA Player Prop | Josh Okogie
Josh Okogie O/U 0.5 Steals
This play is one of the absolute sharpest on the board. Josh Okogie, an ancillary weapon within Phoenix’s rotation, has seen a significant uptick in run following the Kawhi Leonard injury development. Okogie played only 7 minutes in Game 1 and 15 in Game 2 as Torrey Craig replaced him in Phoenix’s starting lineup. However, he played 21 minutes in Game 3 and 25 in Game 4 as Phoenix adjusted for a smaller, Kawhi-less Clippers lineup.
It’s easy to forget, but Okogie was a starter for Phoenix down the stretch. He entered the starting lineup after the Kevin Durant trade and averaged 28.7 minutes per game across 25 regular-season starts. More importantly, he also averaged 1.1 steals per game. He beat this number in 13 of his 25 starts, or 52%, including two games against the Los Angeles Clippers. Since truly re-entering Phoenix’s rotation in Game 3, Okogie has racked up three steals and beaten this over twice.
The books haven’t adjusted sufficiently for Okogie’s expanded role, especially since that role could expand even further if Lue opts to stick with a smaller lineup on Tuesday night. Okogie has stolen at least one ball in all five of his appearances for the Suns against the Clippers in which he played at least 20 minutes. He averaged two steals per game across those matchups. It helps that the Clippers have allowed the sixth-most steals per game this year (7.9).
Let’s buy this over at -135 (57.5%) via DraftKings Sportsbook. Most of the reasoning behind a line this low has to do with Okogie’s uncertain role, not his uncertain production. But with the Clippers losing Leonard, Monty Williams has much less of an incentive to leave Craig on the floor, which is why Craig’s minutes have cratered down the stretch. He played a series-low 25 minutes in Game 4, exactly what Okogie himself did. Readers yet to register at DraftKings can even get $150 in bonus bets for winning a $5 moneyline wager!
Best Clippers-Suns Player Prop: Josh Okogie Over 0.5 Steals -135 for 1 Unit at DraftKings
