Sunday's Best NBA Bets
Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers (+5.5, 197)
Beating the Miami Heat was an accomplishment the Los Angeles Clippers weren’t ready to deal with.
The Clippers, fresh off celebrating their big win over LeBron and Co., laid an egg against the Golden State Warriors, falling 122-112 as 3-point road underdogs Friday.
Los Angeles was apparently too fat and happy to play defense, watching the Warriors shoot 52 percent from the field and get a combined 53 points from the backcourt duo of Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. Golden State punished the Clippers from outside, knocking down 14 of 26 shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
"Give Golden State some credit, they shot it really well tonight," Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro told the Los Angeles Times. "But our intensity to start the game was not there. I thought it was a little bit better in the second half when we made a bit of a run on them and tied it up."
Los Angeles won’t get any sympathy from their Staples Center neighbors Sunday. The Clippers nearly upset the Lakers the last time they played, losing 87-86 as 7.5-point underdogs in December. That isn’t lost on the other Los Angeles team, which brings a seven-game winning streak into the weekend, going 3-3-1 ATS in that stretch.
Pick: Lakers
Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs (-7, 211.5)
It’s almost a shocker to see the San Antonio Spurs among the league’s most potent offenses. The always-vanilla Spurs are currently fifth in scoring, sixth in field goal percentage and rank second in the NBA in 3-point shooting.
However, San Antonio’s recent five-game winning streak is built on defense. The team has given up an average of just 89.4 points per game in that stretch, including locking down a shorthanded Mavericks squad to 89 points Friday. The Spurs won that game 101-89, playing under the total for the fifth time in a row.
The Nuggets, who faced the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday, have played under in 24 of the past 32 head-to-head meetings with San Antonio, including a 4-16-1 over/under record in their last 21 trips to San Antonio.
Pick: Under
Nuggets face tough NBA odds at San Antonio
By: Brad Young
Denver (22-16 straight up, 14-21-3 against the spread) faces a daunting task in Sunday’s road matchup against San Antonio (34-6 SU, 24-15-1 ATS). Not only are the Nuggets playing their third game in four days, but they must face a Spurs team armed with the best record in the league.
Denver routed a Miami squad without LeBron James by 28 points Thursday night before a Saturday-night home battle versus lowly Cleveland. The Nuggets have struggled to a 5-12 SU and 6-10-1 ATS record when playing on the road.
San Antonio is currently atop the Southwest Division standings over second-place Dallas by seven games. The Spurs are an impressive 21-2 SU on their home court, while going a more modest 13-10 ATS.
Don Best's Real-Time Odds show San Antonio as an 8 ½-point home ‘chalk’ over Denver, with the total set at 208 ½. ESPN will provide coverage of Sunday’s contest beginning at 6:05 p.m. PT from San Antonio’s AT&T Center.
Denver presently ranks second in the league in points per game (106.9), and 23rd in points allowed (104.1). The Nuggets have seen the ‘under’ go 9-4 their previous 13 games against Southwest Division opponents, and they are 7-19-2 ATS their past 28 road outings.
Denver is riding a two-game SU and ATS winning streak heading into its Saturday-night matchup versus Cleveland. The Nuggets won those two outings against Miami and Phoenix by a combined 62 points. The ‘over’ cashed in both of those contests.
San Antonio has won five consecutive contests SU and three outings in a row ATS after Friday’s triumph over Dallas as 9 ½-point home ‘chalk,’ 101-89. The combined 190 points failed to eclipse the 192 ½-point closing total, helping the ‘under’ cash the fifth straight matchup.
San Antonio entered the fourth quarter with a sizeable 24-point advantage, 85-61. The Spurs also controlled the game in rebounding (52-39) and assist (21-17), and finished the contest by shooting 45 percent (36-of-80) from the field and 38 percent (6-of-16) from behind the arc.
Forward DeJuan Blair accounted for 18 points and 13 rebounds in the victory, while point guard Tony Parker provided 18 and six assists. Center Tim Duncan added 16 points and 12 boards, while Manu Ginobili had 11 points.
San Antonio is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS the previous four meetings with Denver after winning the latest meeting Dec. 22 as an eight-point home favorite, 109-103. The combined 212 points slithered ‘under’ the 212 ½-point closing total, helping the ‘under’ improve to 5-1 the last six games in this series.
Denver forward Chris Andersen is expected to miss a week of action due to a knee injury. The Nuggets follow this matchup with a three-game homestand against Oklahoma City, the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana.
San Antonio guard James Anderson (foot) is ‘out’ indefinitely, while forward Matt Bonner (knee) is expected to miss this matchup. The Spurs continue a four-game homestand following this outing with games against Toronto and New York.
San Antonio ranks fifth in the league in points per game (104.6) and assists (23.2), 7th in rebounds (43.1) and 11th in points allowed (96.8). The Spurs are 8-3 ATS their past 11 outings overall, and they are 12-4 ATS the last 16 matchups versus Northwest Division opponents.