Suns vs Clippers 2023 Playoffs Preview (Odds, Season Series and All-Time History)

The 2023 NBA Playoffs are here, and there's several exciting matchups to look forward to. One series fans have circled is the 4-seed Phoenix Suns taking on the 5-seed Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

These two sides have plenty of history together, especially since they live in the same division. Here's everything you need to know before they square off this postseason.

Suns vs Clippers All-Time Playoff History

The Suns and Clippers have played 13 playoff games against each prior to the 2023 postseason. Phoenix owns the all-time lead in this matchup, going 8-5 across their two previous series.

The Suns and Clippers first faced off in the Western Conference semifinals during the 2006 playoffs. It was a hard-fought series that saw the teams alternate wins, which led to an all-deciding Game 7 in Phoenix. The home team emerged victorious, sending the 6-seed Clippers home.

These sides recently met again during the 2021 postseason, this time with an NBA Finals appearance on the line. The 2-seed Suns got an early 2-0 series lead over the Clippers, and L.A. was never able to rally, ultimately falling in six games.

Suns-Clippers Season Series 2023

As division rivals, the Suns and Clippers faced off four times against each other during the 2022-23 campaign. They split their head-to-head series, with both sides winning two games this season.

These squads first met on Oct. 23 at Crypto.com Arena, and the visting Suns emerged with a 112-95 win behind a game-high 35 points from Devin Booker. Phoenix also won their second meeting by a nearly identical score of 111-95 on Dec. 15.

The Clippers fared much better once the calendar turned to 2023, though. L.A. got its first victory over Phoenix on Feb. 16, then again in the season finale on April 9.

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Suns vs Clippers Odds and Prediction for 2023 Playoff Series

The Suns are overwhelming favorites to defeat the Clippers in the first round, according to FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA odds. Phoenix is listed at -450 to emerge victorious, while L.A. is the underdog at +330. A five-game series is seen as the most likely at +200 odds.

It's no surprise to see the Suns favored here. Phoenix very well could've contended for the No. 1 seed in the west if the team wasn't decimated by injuries throughout the 2022-23 campaign.

Despite their health issues, Monty Williams still led his squad to a No. 4 finish, which speaks to this roster's talent. Devin Booker is coming off of a career year scoring-wise (27.8 PPG), while Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton are back to hopefully secure another Finals appearance. That's not even to mention the addition of Kevin Durant, who makes this starting lineup a total nightmare to match up with.

On the other side, health is major concern for the Clippers with Paul George nursing a serious knee injury. He's expected to miss at least the start of the first round and has no official return timetable, so Phoenix could build a healthy series before he even takes the floor again.

It's difficult to see the Clippers challenging the Suns without half of their star duo. Considering George could miss several contests, targeting the series to last five games (+200) is a smart wager before these teams clash.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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