The two teams from Los Angeles will try to return from the All-Star break on a winning note when the Lakers and Clippers collide in a key Western Conference game on Friday at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. The Clippers (30-31) sit in eighth place in the West standings, 1½ games ahead of the ninth-place Lakers (27-31). The two teams need to make a second-half push in order to avoid the four-team play-in tournament. 

Tip-off is at 10 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Lakers as one-point favorites in the latest Lakers vs. Clippers odds while the Over/Under is 223. 

Before making any Clippers vs. Lakers picks or NBA predictions, see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say. (Check out the odds of every game on SportsLine's NBA odds page.)

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 69-41 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning almost $2,300. Anyone following it has seen HUGE returns.

The model knows that LeBron James (questionable, knee) has not lost a step. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer is averaging 29.1 points per game, which ranks third in the NBA, behind only Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. James also is averaging 6.5 assists per game (16th in the league) and 7.9 rebounds (33rd).

The model also knows that the Clippers have dominated the recent series against their rivals. The Clippers have won the last five meetings between the teams and haven't lost to the Lakers since March 2020. The streak includes two Clippers victories this season, including a 111-110 win on Feb. 3.

Now, the model has simulated Lakers vs. Clippers 10,000 times, and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under the total, predicting a combined 217 points, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60 percent of simulations. You absolutely need to see it before locking in your own picks.

Who wins Lakers vs. Clippers? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Clippers vs. Lakers spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its NBA picks.