Thunder at Clippers: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers (1, 201)
Chris Paul looked just fine in his return from a knee injury on Saturday, but testing it a second time did not produce the desired results. Paul will see how it holds up on the second night of a back-to-back when the Los Angeles Clippers host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. Paul struggled to four points in a loss at Golden State on Monday and labored at times in the second half.
The Thunder, who lead Los Angeles and the San Antonio Spurs by a half-game for first place in the Western Conference, had a six-game winning streak snapped in an overtime loss at Denver on Sunday. Oklahoma City remains the only team in the NBA to have single-digit losses thanks in part to the boasting the top-scoring offense in the leagues. Kevin Durant has been on fire of late and Chris Paul will have his hands full trying to guard Russell Westbrook at less than 100 percent.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (32-9): Oklahoma City has played seven of its last nine games on the road and will play four more away before getting home on Jan. 31. Any fatigue that the team might be suffering has shown up on the defensive end the past two games, when the Thunder have been forced into overtime at Dallas and at Denver. Durant’s career-high 52 points helped them pull out the 117-114 win at Dallas but 37 from the MVP candidate was not enough in the 121-118 setback against the Nuggets. Durant is averaging 37.5 points over his last six games and has gone 41-of-42 from the free throw line in the last two contests. Westbrook nearly matched Durant with 36 points on Sunday and has gone over 30 points in four straight. Durant went for 35 points while Westbrook collected 23 and nine assists in a 117-111 overtime victory over Los Angeles on Nov. 21.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (32-10): Paul missed three straight games with a bruised kneecap but returned on Saturday and went for 22 points and 11 assists in a win over the Washington Wizards. The All-Star went 1-for-7 from the field in Monday’s 106-99 loss at Golden State, prompting coach Vinny Del Negro to tell reporters, “You could see he doesn’t have that extra burst like he usually has.” Paul will be a game-time decision for Tuesday. Aside from Paul’s performance, the big letdown Monday was by the defense, which allowed the Warriors to put up 33 points in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles is among the best teams in the NBA in terms of scoring defense and had held its previous two opponents under 90.
TRENDS:
* Over is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Over is 8-2 in Thunder’s last 10 vs. NBA Pacific foes.
* Clippers are 7-0 ATS in their last seven after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Thunder are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings in Los Angeles.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Oklahoma City has lost in each of its last four trips to face the Clippers.
2. Los Angeles F Blake Griffin scored 23 points in the first meeting and has averaged 21.3 points and 10 rebounds in nine career games against the Thunder.
3. Oklahoma City’s 13-6 road record is tied with the Clippers for tops in the Western Conference.
NBA: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers
Western Conference bragging rights are at stake when Oklahoma Thunder (32-9, 24-15-2 ATS) take on the Los Angeles Clippers (32-10, 25-17 ATS) Tuesday night at the Staples Center. Thunder hit a little bump in the road last time out falling 121-118 in OT at Denver but still remain a solid 13-6 (10-7-2 ATS) on the road where they net a whopping 103.8 points/game. Meanwhile, Blake Griffin and company clipped 106-99 at Golden State last night return to the comfort of home court where they'll look to improve a scorching hot 14-1 (10-5 ATS) streak that has seen the team score 105.3 PPG while allowing a miniscule 89.9 per/contest over the span. Plenty of reason to back Los Angles one of the better defensive teams in the league allowing 93.0 PPG overall. The team is on a smart 7-2 SU, 6-3 ATS stretch at home following a game in which they surrendered =>100 points. Clippers are on a 4-0 SU/ATS streak hosting Oklahoma City and Thunder hit the hardwood on a 3-9-2 ATS slide this year held to =<100 points.
Clippers vs. Thunder Point Spread, Betting Analysis and Pick
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
LAS VEGAS -- We’ve got only four games in the NBA tonight, but there's a big one that more than makes up for the light schedule. The Oklahoma City Thunder (32-9) take on the Los Angeles Clippers (32-10) at the Staples Center.
Not only do these teams own the NBA's two best records, they are also two of the best teams against the spread. The Clippers have a league-best 25-17 ATS record, and the Thunder are right behind them at 24-16-1 ATS.
Both teams are coming off losses – the Clippers lost, 106-99, at Golden State on Monday, while the Thunder had a six-game win streak snapped at Denver on Sunday night.
The Clippers were initially set as 2-point favorites for this matchup, which would have been only the third time this season the Thunder were catching points, but Chris Paul re-aggravated a knee injury yesterday that had caused him to miss three games last week and is a game-time decision tonight, according to the L.A. Times.
As of 11:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, the Thunder are 1-point favorites, with the total set at 200.
A 3-point swing may sound like a lot of points, but it’s Paul who makes this team go.
Don’t let Paul’s status, however, deter you from siding with the Clippers. They not only won the three games Paul was out, they also covered. And all three were on the road — at Memphis, Houston and Minnesota. The success with their best player sidelined is due to largely to having the best bench in the league. Between Jamal Crawford and Eric Bledsoe, the Clippers should be just fine without Paul
These two teams met at Oklahoma City on Nov. 21, with the Thunder winning. 117-111, as 4-point favorites. That was the start of a four-game losing streak for the Clippers, a streak that turned their season around for the better. After that run, they went on to win a franchise record 17 games in a row. They have gone 24-4 since that four-game losing streak.
Sporting News' Sean Deveney: Thunder matchup a prove-it game for Clippers
The Thunder are not typically a team you want to bet against, but we think this is a good spot for the Clippers to grab a win despite playing back-to-back nights and the possibility of not having Paul. Monday against the Warriors, Paul was actually a liability, as he shot only 1-for-7 in 33 minutes.
The Thunder are on their most brutal road trip of the season, having played five of their last six on the road, with four more games to go on a west coast swing.
The Thunder have failed to cover their last four trips to Los Angeles against the Clippers.
Here are some more trends and injuries to consider as you make your wagering decisions on Tuesday’s NBA card.
NBA trends:
* The Celtics have covered only once in their past six games following a loss and are 3-9 ATS in their past 12 road games. The Cavs have covered five of their last seven games against Eastern Conference teams. The Celtics have stayed UNDER the total in 10 of their last 14 games. Boston is a 4-point home favorite tonight, with a total of 191.
* The Magic have covered 10 of their past 13 road games, but have failed to cover their last six overall against teams with a losing record. The Pistons have covered only four of their past 14 home games. The Magic have gone OVER the total in their last five road games and also five of the past seven meetings with the Pistons. Detroit is -5, with a total of 195.5.
* The 76ers have failed to cover their past four road games against teams with a winning home record. The Bucks have covered five of their last seven games. The 76ers and Bucks have stayed UNDER the total in their past six meetings in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is -6.5 at home tonight, the total is 196.5.
* The Thunder have covered six of their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. The Clippers have covered their past seven games following a game in which they allowed 100 points or more, as well as 10 of their last 14 home games. The Clippers have gone OVER the total in 11 of their last 13 following non-covers. The Clippers have covered the past four meetings with the Thunder in Los Angeles. The Thunder are 1-point road favorites with a total of 200.
NBA injuries:
* Cavs forward Anderson Varejao (blood clot) is OUT for the season.
* Clippers guard Chris Paul (knee) was re-injured yesterday and is questionable tonight.