Rockets vs. Clippers Pick
Will the Los Angeles Clippers give their all to keep the home-court advantage in the West when they host the Houston Rockets tonight at 10:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Clippers are the clear favorite tonight, as they are getting odds of -7 points against the Rockets. The over/under total for the game is listed at 229.5 points. Houston has won and covered the spread in both meetings with the Clippers this season.
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The Clippers seem to be peaking right now, as they have won five straight to get to 49-31 on the season. They hold the fourth spot in the West right now, sitting tied with the Jazz, but they have the tiebreaker. Their record against the spread hasn’t been tremendous, as they are just 38-41-1 ATS on the season. For the year the Clippers are averaging 108.4 points per game on offense while allowing 104.6 on defense. Over their last five, they are putting up 116.4 points per game on offense while allowing 106.8 on defense. Blake Griffin is leading the team with 21.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while Chris Paul is adding 18.1 points and 9.2 assists per game.
The Rockets have been in cruise control somewhat, as they are 54-26 on the season and firmly locked into the third seed in the West, set to face the Thunder in the opening round. Despite winning three of their last four, the Rockets have failed to cover in seven straight and are now 42-38 against the spread on the season. While they average 115.5 points per game on offense this season, they are giving up 113.8 over their last five games. James Harden is leading the team with 29.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 11.3 assists per game. He is still making a run at the MVP, but it’s hard to imagine Houston will risk him getting fatigued or hurt before the playoffs and limit his minutes.
The Clippers are playing pretty well right now and still have motivation to play hard at home tonight. Winning home-court for its series with Utah is important, as the Jazz are a tough team to beat in Utah. Houston certainly has the ability and history to beat the Clippers, but the Rockets will need to play smart and not looking to get into a shootout tonight. Expect the Clippers to win comfortably.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS -7