Should You Bet on the Los Angeles Clippers to win the 2026 NBA Finals?
This season started in disastrous form for the Los Angeles Clippers, but they’ve turned the ship around with Kawhi Leonard playing at an All-NBA level once again.
Trades for Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin have injected some youth into what was the oldest roster in the NBA and the Clippers have a dangerous offense around Leonard now as we head into the Play-in Tournament.
The Clippers will host the No. 10 Golden State Warriors Wednesday in the Play-in and open as 5-point favorites. The winner of that game will play on the road against the loser of the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trailblazers matchup for the right to earn the No. 8 seed and a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
So, do the Clippers have any shot to make the Playoffs and take down the defending NBA champions in a crazy 8-1 upset? We break down their odds below.
Los Angeles Clippers to Win Western Conference?
While the Clippers have played the Thunder tough in recent seasons, they lost eight straight meetings against former Clipper Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the best defensive team in the NBA.
The Thunder have several options to throw at Leonard with their elite wing defenders rotating in as fresh bodies and they’ve held Leonard to just 20.6 PPG with a -31 plus/minus rating in his last five outings against OKC. For context, Leonard is averaging 28 PPG and is a cumulative +298 over 43 games since the start of 2026.
Jeff Van Gundy helps with defensive coaching strategies on the Clippers and that has helped offset some of the issues with their aging roster. Yet injuries and the trade of Ivica Zubac have left the Clips with 38-year-old Brook Lopez as their only real rim protector. It’s unrealistic to expect Lopez to hold up against the SGA and the Thunder.
The Clippers offer some value at +225 to make the NBA playoffs and are worth a bet if you think they can hold serve against the Warriors and take down the Blazers or the Suns. They’re 29-17 as a favorite this season and could be slightly favored at Portland if that is the matchup.
Backing the Clippers to beat the Thunder in the first round is not worth the risk, despite the potential returns at 24/1 odds.
Best Odds: Los Angeles Clippers to win Western Conference
Los Angeles Clippers to Win NBA Finals?
Playoff projections at basketball-reference.com give the Clippers a minuscule 0.1% chance to win the Western Conference and ESPN’s Power Index concurs with that number, offering a 0.7% chance that the Clips win two playoff series to make the Western Conference Finals.
Even with an all-time playoff performance from Kawhi, who has won two Finals MVP awards and three championships, the Clips would be hard-pressed to compete with the top seeds in the West.
The Clippers are 19-30 against teams with winning records this season and have generally been mediocre since the All-Star Break with a +3.9 net rating (13th) and 16-12 record.
Their odds to make the WCF Finals are similar to the crosstown Los Angeles Lakers (+3500) but their road is much tougher as the potential No. 8 seed. This isn’t the year to back the Clippers to go on a long run and waste money on a +25000 futures ticket for them to win the West.
Best Odds: Los Angeles Clippers to win NBA Finals
Photo Credit: AP/Aaron Gash
