NBA Betting News and Notes Monday, January 16th, 2017

NBA Knowledge

Hawks won eight of last nine games, are 8-1 vs spread in last nine road games. Under is 4-1-1 in their last six games. New York lost 10 of last 12 games, is 1-4 vs spread in last five home games. Last four Knick games stayed under the total. Knicks won three of last four games with Atlanta; over is 7-3 in last ten series games. Hawks lost by 14-10 points in last two visits to Manhattan.

Portland is 4-3 in its last seven games (5-2 vs spread); they’re 5-10 as road underdogs. Over is 9-4 in their last 13 road games. Washington won seven of last ten games, is 10-1 vs spread in last 11 home games. Three of their last four games stayed under total. Portland won four of last five games with Washington, but lost three of last four visits here (1-3 vs spread). Four of last five series games went over the total.

76ers won five of last seven games; they’re 7-3 in last ten games as a road underdog. Last four Sixer games stayed under total. Bucks are 5-3 in their last eight games; they’re 7-7 as home favorites. Four of their last five games went over total. Bucks won their last nine games with Philly (7-2 vs spread); 76ers lost last five visits here (1-4 vs spread). Four of last five series games went over total.

Pacers are back from from London, where their 5-game win streak ended; Indiana won/covered their last four home games. Last seven Pacer games went over. Pelicans lost four of last six games; they’re 8-10-1 as road underdogs. Under is 7-1 in their last eight games. Pacers won nine of last ten games with New Orleans (8-2 vs spread, 0-2 last two); seven of last eight series games stayed under total. Pelicans lost last four visits to Indy (1-3 vs spread).

Orlando lost five of its last six games, is 11-5 in last 16 games as a road underdog. Over is 6-3 in their last nine road games. Denver is back home from London, where they snapped a 5-game skid; Nuggets are 0-4 in last four games as a home favorite. Last six Denver games went over total. Nuggets won six of last eight games with Orlando (over 6-2); Magic lost four of last five visits to Denver (3-2 vs spread).

Hornets lost their last five road games (2-3 vs spread); they’re 6-4-1 as road underdogs. Over is 7-3 in their last ten games. Boston won six of last seven games; they’re 8-7 as home favorites. Over is 9-2 in their last 11 games. Celtics won six of last seven games with Charlotte; road team won five of last six series games. Teams split last our series games played here. Over is 4-1 in last five series games in Boston.

Cleveland is 3-2 on this road trip; they’re 2-1 as an underdog this year. Over is 4-2 in their last six road games. Golden State won seven of its last eight games; they’re 1-5 in last six games as a home favorite. Over is 4-1 in their last five home games. Cavaliers won last four games with Golden State, winning by point at home on Christmas; Cavaliers won last two games here, by 15-4 points. Under is 5-2-1 in last eight series games.

Utah won its last three games; they’re 8-2 vs spread as road favorites. Five of last six Jazz games stayed under total. Phoenix just split two games in Mexico; they’re 7-5 as home underdogs. Suns’ last three games all went over the total. Jazz won their last six games with Phoenix (4-1-1 vs spread); under is 6-2 in last eight series games. Utah won last two visits here, by 9-15 points.

Thunder won four of last five games, covered five of last six; they’re 5-7 as road underdogs. Three of their last four games stayed under. Clippers won their last six games (5-1 vs spread); they’re 10-8-1 as home favorites. Six of last seven Clipper games stayed under the total. Clippers lost four of last five games with Oklahoma City; teams split last four games played here (under 4-0).

Armadillosports.com

Monday’s NBA Game of the Day: Cavaliers at Warriors
Covers.com

Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors (-7.5, 224.5)

The Cleveland Cavaliers blamed a lack of practice time for some lackluster performances of late but got two straight days off over the weekend to work out some kinks and prepare for another NBA Finals rematch. The Cavaliers will return to Golden State for the first time since winning Game 7 of the NBA Finals last spring when they visit the Warriors on Monday.

Cleveland overcame a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit on Christmas Day to earn a 109-108 home win over the Warriors in the first regular-season meeting, stretching their winning streak in the rivalry to four straight dating back to Game 5 of the Finals. Cleveland is playing the finale of a six-game road trip and pulled out of a two-game skid with a 120-108 win at Sacramento on Friday. Golden State has been off since knocking off Detroit 127-107 at home on Thursday and is focused on long-term goals. “We always try to focus on the process and keep getting better,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the win. “That’s all it’s about, continuing on with the work in progress and we made a good step (against the Pistons)."

LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as 7.5-point favorites for this NBA Finals rematch and as of Monday morning the spread has not moved. The total hit the board at 225.5 and went down full point to 224.5.

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "Despite having the best straight-up record in each conference, these two teams have not been profitable against the pointspread this season. Golden State is 34-6 SU, but just 16-23 ATS, including 1-6 ATS in their past seven games. Cleveland is 29-10 SU, but just 16-20 ATS, including 0-6-1 ATS in their past seven games. Cleveland has been an underdog in only five games this season, going 2-3 ATS, however LeBron James did not play in all three losses. The Cavaliers are 2-0 SU/ATS as an underdog with LeBron playing this season, which includes their home underdog win versus Golden State on Christmas Day."

INJURY REPORT:

Cavaliers - SG J. Smith (Late March, thumb), PF C. Anderson (Out For Season, knee).

Warriors - No injuries to report.

POWER RANKINGS: Cavaliers (-7.9) - Warriors (-14.5) + home court (-3) = Warriors -9.6

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (29-10 SU, 16-20-2 ATS, 19-19 O/U): Kyrie Irving knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer in Game 7 of the Finals last spring and hit the winning jumper with 3.4 seconds left in the Christmas meeting as well. Irving battled a shooting slump in two losses last week - going a combined 9-of-34 from the field in the two contests - and started to pick up the pace by pouring in 26 points on 10-of-22 shooting in Sacramento. Irving was able to hoist up that many shots against the Kings because LeBron James decided to show off his skills as a passer while racking up 15 assists.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (34-6 SU, 16-23-1 ATS, 19-21 O/U): Two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry struggled to 40.3 percent from the floor in the Finals last spring and did not enjoy any more success at Cleveland on Christmas, when he was limited to 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Kevin Durant got his first taste of the rivalry in that Christmas meeting and collected 36 points and 15 rebounds but tripped on his way up the court on the final play and could not get off a shot at the buzzer. Durant scored at least 25 points in each of the last five games and is 8-of-15 from 3-point range in the last three contests.

TRENDS:

* Cavaliers are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
* Warriors are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
* Under is 5-1 in Cavaliers' last 6 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points.
* Over is 5-1 in Warriors' last 6 games playing on 3 or more days rest.
* Cavaliers are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
* Under is 5-0-2 in the last 7 meetings in Golden State.

CONSENSUS: 54 percent of the picks are siding with the road favorite Cleveland Cavaliers and Over is picking up 54 percent of the totals wagers.

Monday's NBA Essentials
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com

The NBA pulls out its Sunday best on Monday when Martin Luther King Day rolls around, so an attractive nine-game card capped by a fantastic evening doubleheader awaits. Here's a preview:

Game of the Night - Cleveland at Golden State

If this rematch winds up being half as fun as the Christmas Day clash was, we’re all in store for a good show. Still, there’s no reason this can’t end up being even better. After all, Kyrie Irving hit the game-winning shot in Cleveland’s 108-107 home win with 3.4 seconds left.

Someone securing a victory with a buzzer-beater would surely be better than that. It would also be more entertaining if this game could stay close throughout. The Dec. 25 meeting saw Golden State appear to be the superior team throughout most of the first three quarters. The Warriors led by double-digits 20 minutes in and were up 14 with 10 left. It was then that the Cavs turned it on, got a monster scoring flurry from Irving and strong play out of LeBron James and Kevin Love and turned the result around. In all, Cleveland led 42 seconds. Closing on a 29-14 run brought back memories, not to mention countless memes and ridicule, of last June’s collapse after building a 3-1 Finals lead.

Not only did the Cavs pull off a historic comeback against the Warriors to avenge their 2015 Finals loss and win a championship, they’ve now also conquered the Kevin Durant-infused version. The Warriors, as you might expect, are looking forward to this one. Oracle Arena, site of Golden State losses in Games 5 and 7, will be amped up and sold out. Considering that the last two times Cleveland set foot in the building, it thwarted full-on celebrations, the stakes are nowhere near as high here. Still, you know LeBron and friends would love to sweep the season series to hold a psychological edge in the case they run into Golden State again come June.

Newly acquired sharp-shooter Kyle Korver missed his first five 3-pointers with the Cavs and shot a combined 2-for-10 in road losses at Portland and Utah, but he went 7-for-10 in Friday’s 120-108 win in Sacramento and could take his new team’s level up a few notches. This is the final leg of Cleveland’s season-long six-game road trip and will make the difference between going an impressive 4-2 or breaking even at 3-3. The Cavs have actually had time to practice since their last outing on Friday and will be playing only their third game since Christmas where they’ve had multiple days between contests. For the season, they’re 9-1 with two days to prepare for a game.

The Warriors last played on Thursday, beating Detroit 127-107. They’ve recorded three straight wins by double-digits since a 128-119 home loss to Memphis on Jan. 6, which was the only time they’ve fallen in their last eight games and just their third setback at Oracle. Golden State is 7-1 with at least two days between games, so maybe we will see the best from both teams here and get an even better show than we got on Dec. 25.

Stephen Curry struggled, shooting just 4-for-11 and missing five of his seven 3-point looks. He was in foul trouble and failed to gain a rhythm, so he’ll be under pressure to respond here. In his six January contests thus far, he’s dropped a 40-point game and Is averaging 29.2 points and shooting 48.5 percent. He’s definitely playing better than he was before the first meeting, where he had shot over 50 percent only once in the 11 games leading up to the Christmas clash. Durant is 3-14 against James in regular-season meetings, so despite a 36-point, 15-rebound night in his first taste of the rivalry as a Warrior, he’s going to want this one badly too.

Cleveland is a 7.5-point underdog, which is larger than the number (+7) oddsmakers set in the Memphis game where the team’s “big three” sat. The Cavs were a 3.5-point home dog in Cleveland against the Warriors and are 2-3 in this situation, having beaten Toronto and Golden State. The under barely hit in the first meeting and has prevailed in seven of Cleveland’s last 12 games. At 225, this is the second-largest total set in a Cavs game this season, trailing only the 225.5 set in a home date with the Nets on Dec. 23. That game went 'under.'

Game of the Night II - Oklahoma City at LA Clippers

Unless they run into one another in the playoffs, this will be the fourth and final meeting between the Clippers and Thunder this season. Although they’ve only faced off in one postseason series (OKC won 4-2 in the 2014 West semis), this series has always been contentious since Blake Griffin went to Oklahoma and the bulldog mentality of point guards Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook bleeds into their play on the floor.

Orlando's Serge Ibaka was always a fun part of the rivalry, antagonizing Griffin and going at DeAndre Jordan, but since he and Durant are no longer with the Thunder, things have taken on a different feel in this year’s three encounters. The games couldn’t have been more dissimilar.

The first two meetings came down to the wire. The most recent, a 114-88 OKC win on Dec. 31, didn’t feature Paul or Griffin and therefore has little relevance outside of Westbrook collecting a triple-double in just 29 minutes. He won the first game in Los Angeles with a jumper with 18.7 second left to overcome a 10-turnover night by scoring 35 points. Paul fell one assist shy of a triple-double in an 85-83 game that produced the second-lowest scoring output of the season for both teams. The Clippers’ only win came in Oklahoma City, 110-108, courtesy of a big night from Griffin.

If not for Westbrook missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer in that Nov. 12 game, the Thunder would be in position to sweep the regular-series tonight. Griffin remains out, though it’s looking increasingly likely he’ll return from his knee injury within the next two weeks. Despite his absence, the Clippers (-7) are a substantial favorite as they look for their seventh consecutive win as OKC is forced to play on the second night of a back-to-back following Sunday’s 122-118 win in Sacramento.

Westbrook notched his 20th triple-double and scored 36, his second-highest output since Dec. 23, a span of 12 games. Playing their third road game in four nights, it remains to be seen how much juice the Thunder have left in their legs. They’re 2-5 (3-4 ATS) on the second night of back-to-backs.

The Clippers have seen the ‘under’ prevail in six of their last seven games and are a perfect 4-0 since Paul returned from his hamstring issue. He’s shooting 52.3 percent and averaging 17.8 points and 12.3 assists thus far in January. Jordan is averaging 14.7 points and 18.0 rebounds during LA’s winning streak and went 12-for-13 from the field in Saturday’s 113-97 win over the Lakers. The Clips haven’t left California in 2017 and remain the lone NBA team yet to lose a game in the new year.

Oklahoma City has won five of the last seven against the Clippers, so this one is going to be important to both teams. Westbrook would love to win his final regular-season game in his hometown this season since there are no more stops at Staples scheduled. Paul will be the driving force in keeping the Thunder from winning the season series 3-1 for the second straight time. He’ll need help beyond Jordan, but has seen backcourt mate J.J. Redick average 19.5 points per game during this January winning streak.

Notable Head-to-Head Trends

Both the Hawks and Knicks are wrapping up a back-to-back to pen MLK Day action at 1 p.m. ET, but they're headed in opposite directions and coming off drastically different results. Before heading to Manhattan, the Hawks handled Milwaukee at home on Sunday afternoon, getting an unexpected boost from Kent Bazemore and the newly acquired Mike Dunleavy, who combined for 44 points in a 111-98 win over Milwaukee. At precisely the same time on Sunday, New York was finishing up a 116-101 loss in Toronto where it was outscored 27-8 in the third quarter. Starters sat the fourth to rest for today's game, but head coach Jeff Hornacek hinted that lineup changes may be on the hornizon. Forwards Kristaps Porzingis (Achilles) and Lance Thomas (face) won't play. The 'under' has prevailed in six of seven Hawks games and four straight Knicks games.

The Trail Blazers swept the Wizards last week and have won four of five meetings in this series. They won in DC on MLK Day last year, winning in our nation's capital for the first time since March 2012. The Wizards have a seven-game winning streak at the Verizon Center. At 7-15, the Trail Blazers have one of the NBA's worst road records.

After resting on Saturday in a road loss at Washington, Philadelphia center Joel Embiid should be back in the lineup at Milwaukee to continue his All-Star campaign. The 76ers are 5-1 in the last six games he's played in despite a restriction topping him out at 30 minutes. The Bucks are playing their first back-to-back of 2017 and are 2-5 on the second night thus far this season.

New Orleans had lost 10 consecutive meetings against the Pacers prior to a Dec. 15 home win behind Anthony Davis' 35 points, 16 boards and five blocks. Rookie Buddy Hield pitched in with 21 points, a figure that remains his career-high. Indiana has been off since having its five-game winning streak snapped in London by Denver.on Thursday.

Monday's Martin Luther King Day NBA Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com

Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks (+3.5, 208.5)

The New York Knicks are mired in a miserable slump entering Monday’s home game against the Atlanta Hawks, and injuries are not helping. The Knicks, who are 2-10 since a Christmas Day loss to Boston, fell 116-101 at Toronto on Sunday - the second game in a row Kristaps Porzingis has missed with a sore left Achilles.

The Knicks, who trailed by 34 points in the second half Sunday, are hopeful Porzingis - second on the team in scoring (19.4) and rebounding (7.5) - can return for Monday's contest. Atlanta has moved in the opposite direction recently, winning eight of its past nine following Sunday’s 111-98 home victory over Milwaukee. Guard Mike Dunleavy, acquired from Cleveland in the Kyle Korver trade, scored 20 points in his second game with the Hawks on Sunday. Atlanta and New York have split their first two meetings this season, each winning on their home court.

TRENDS:

* Hawks are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
* Knicks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Under is 5-0-1 in Hawks last 6 road games.
* Under is 4-0 in Knicks last 4 overall.
* Hawks are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings.

Portland Trail Blazers at Washington Wizards (-3.5, 219.5)

The Washington Wizards pulled above .500 with wins in four of the last five games and have not lost at home since Dec. 6. The Wizards will try to push their home winning streak to 12 in a row when they host the Portland Trail Blazers in the second of a three-game homestand on Monday.

Washington's home winning streak looked like it was in danger when the Wizards trailed by 13 points early against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, but they caught fire through the second and third quarters and ended up cruising to a 109-93 win. Washington allowed the Boston Celtics to shoot 50.6 percent from the field in a 117-108 road loss on Wednesday and got off to a slow start on the defensive end Saturday before limiting the 76ers to 37 points in the second half. The Trail Blazers are going the other way on the defensive end and suffered a 115-109 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday after holding their previous two opponents under 90 points. Portland, which is 7-15 on the road and 5-8 against Eastern Conference opponents, is embarking on a four-game east coast trip.

TRENDS:

* Trail Blazers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up loss.
* Wizards are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 home games.
* Under is 6-1 in Trail Blazers last 7 games following a straight up loss.
* Over is 6-1 in Wizards last 7 vs. NBA Northwest.
* Home team is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.

Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks (-7, 206.5)

The Milwaukee Bucks saw one winning streak come to an end Sunday but can extend another when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. The Bucks have claimed nine straight meetings between the two squads, who have yet to face one another this season.

Milwaukee had won two straight before Sunday's 111-98 setback at Atlanta and is 2-5 in the second half of back-to-backs. The 76ers had a rare three-game winning streak of their own - their first in three years - come to an end in a 109-93 loss at Washington on Saturday, although budding star Joel Embiid did not play in that one. Embiid has scored at least 20 points in eight consecutive contests, five of which came on the road. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo - who had 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists Sunday - averaged 17.7 points on 56.4 percent shooting to help Milwaukee sweep last season's three-game series.

TRENDS:

* 76ers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
* Bucks are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 vs. NBA Atlantic.
* Under is 6-0-1 in 76ers last 7 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Over is 8-1 in Bucks last 9 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Favorite is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings.

New Orleans Pelicans at Indiana Pacers (-5.5, 214.5)

The New Orleans Pelicans can still salvage a winning five-game road trip when they visit the Indiana Pacers for the finale on Monday. The Pelicans, who were hoping to make a move into the playoff race in the Western Conference in the first half of this month, dropped a 107-99 decision at Chicago on Saturday to fall to 2-4 in January.

New Orleans got star forward Anthony Davis back from a one-game absence due to a hip injury on Saturday but was still outrebounded 63-42 while giving up 21 offensive boards to the Bulls. "We just need to stop stargazing," Davis told reporters. "When the ball goes up, we all just kind of stare at it, instead of finding a body and going and getting the rebound. If we do that and put bodies on players, it makes rebounding a lot easier. When you’re just stargazing, you just give the offense the chance to get the rebound." The Pelicans should have an easier time on the boards against the Pacers, who are in the bottom third of the league in rebound average (42.4) and were outrebounded 52-39 while getting crushed 140-112 by the Denver Nuggets in London. "I think that we didn't bring it defensively, we didn't play the same way that we've been playing," swingman Glenn Robinson III told reporters. "Pressuring teams and having fun on defense. Really getting after it."

TRENDS:

* Pelicans are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Monday games.
* Pacers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
* Under is 7-1 in Pelicans last 8 overall.
* Over is 10-1 in Pacers last 11 overall.
* Under is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings.

Orlando Magic at Denver Nuggets (-5.5, 223)

The Denver Nuggets are probably wishing they could play all their games in London after punishing the Indiana Pacers across the Atlantic Ocean last week. They will try to carry that momentum across several time zones when they return home to host the Orlando Magic on Monday.

The Nuggets lost five in a row while allowing an average of 123.8 points before taking part in the NBA's Global Games series and rolling up a 140-112 win over the Pacers on Thursday. "I joked with our guys after the game, 'I think we’re going to stay here in London and play our home games here,'" Denver coach Mike Malone told reporters. "Our guys were very comfortable out there and we had one of our best performances." The Magic are turning a corner offensively as well and averaged 111 points in the last two games after failing to score more than 96 during a four-game slide. Orlando, which is playing the fifth of a six-game road trip at Denver, earned a 115-109 win at Portland on Friday but might have been even more impressive in a loss on Saturday, when it scored 107 points against a Utah Jazz squad that leads the NBA in scoring defense.

TRENDS:

* Magic are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Nuggets are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
* Over is 4-0 in Magic last 4 vs. NBA Northwest.
* Over is 6-0 in Nuggets last 6 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points.
* Favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.

Charlotte Hornets at Boston Celtics (-5, 216)

A pair of Eastern Conference squads going in opposite directions meet up Monday when the sliding Charlotte Hornets visit the surging Boston Celtics. With four straight losses and six in their last seven games, the Hornets are in danger of falling below .500 for the first time since last February.

Meanwhile, the Celtics have won six of seven and 12 of 15 behind the stellar play of point guard Isaiah Thomas, who hit the game-winner with two seconds left in Friday's 103-101 win at Atlanta and is on a roll that has pushed him into the fringe of some MVP discussions at the season's midpoint. "I think [coach Brad Stevens] was trying to call timeout at first," Thomas said of his latest example of fourth-quarter heroics. "Then he was trying to do a play to run a pick-and-roll, but I called it off a little bit. And he trusts me. At the end he said, ‘Hell of a shot.’" Thomas scored seven fourth-quarter points to lead Boston past Charlotte in the first meeting and had 16 of his 26 points after halftime in a 96-88 triumph over the Hornets last month at home. That result capped a four-game losing streak for Charlotte, and its current one was extended to four with Friday's 102-93 loss at Philadelphia.

TRENDS:

* Hornets are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 vs. NBA Atlantic.
* Celtics are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Over is 4-0 in Hornets last 4 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Over is 7-0 in Celtics last 7 home games.
* Hornets are 1-6 ATS in the last 7 meetings.

Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns (+5.5, 202.5)

After wowing fans in a two-game stay in Mexico City, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker will seek an encore in front of his own supporters when the Suns host the Utah Jazz on Monday. Booker scored 28 points in the fourth quarter - a franchise record for one period - en route to a career-high 39 against Dallas on Thursday at Arena Ciudad de Mexico.

The 20-year-old then followed that up with another 39-point effort in Saturday's 108-105 win over San Antonio, picking up an emotional triumph in the country where his grandfather was born. "I'm proud of the team overall, we bounce back after what happened the other night against Dallas, we play against a really good team like the Spurs and we came out with a close win," Booker told the media. "We are seeing beauty in the struggle. We played real well." It has mostly been a struggle for Phoenix when it plays Utah, which won six straight in the series and carries a three-game winning streak into this one. Center Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 19 rebounds in Saturday's 114-107 win over Orlando at home, although guard Rodney Hood suffered a knee injury in the setback and will be undergoing more tests.

TRENDS:

* Jazz are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 vs. Western Conference.
* Suns are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games.
* Under is 10-1 in Jazz last 11 vs. Western Conference.
* Under is 10-2 in Suns last 12 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Favorite is 6-1-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers (-7.5, 212.5)

The Los Angeles Clippers can match the best start to a calendar year in franchise history with a seventh straight victory when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night. Coach Jack Ramsay led the franchise to a 7-0 start in 1974 when it was in Buffalo and Los Angeles has recorded wins in the first six of 2017 by an average of almost 11 points.

The Clippers, who are still without injured All-Star forward Blake Griffin (knee), knocked off the city-rival Lakers 113-97 on Saturday and own a 16-6 home-court record. “This isn’t our team. We’re still missing 32 (Griffin),” Los Angeles point guard Chris Paul told reporters. “That’s our singular focus, keep winning games.” The Clippers will have to deal with All-Star guard Russell Westbrook, who notched his 20th triple-double of the season Sunday in the Thunder’s 122-118 victory at Sacramento – their fourth win in five games. Center Enes Kanter has played a big part in that run for Oklahoma City, averaging 22.3 points and 11 rebounds over the last four contests.

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
* Clippers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games.
* Under is 6-0 in Thunder last 6 games following a straight up win.
* Under is 6-1 in Clippers last 7 home games.
* Under is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings in Los Angeles.