Looking to Capitalize
After beating the team with the worst record in the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers hope to capitalize on another matchup with a last-place club.
Philadelphia goes for its first three-game winning streak in six weeks Saturday when it hosts the Los Angeles Clippers.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Philadelphia -6 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 193 total points (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 63% of bets for this game have been placed on Philadelphia +6 (View NBA Bet Percentages).
The 76ers (20-30), who have won the first two games of a five-game homestand, haven’t put together a three-game winning streak since Dec. 22-28. They defeated Miami – the team at the bottom of the Southeast Division – 101-84 on Thursday, two nights after opening the homestand with a 101-96 win over struggling Washington.
"Any time you have a team hanging around like that, things can go either way towards the end of the game," said 76ers shooting guard Willie Green, who had 14 points against the Heat. "We all know that you can’t take any NBA team for granted.
"Even if they haven’t won a game yet, you don’t want them to win against you."
Philadelphia will try not to overlook another last-place opponent in the Clippers (16-31) before facing Southwest Division-leading Dallas on Monday, and closing out the homestand Wednesday against Memphis, another last-place team.
The Sixers have lost three in a row to Los Angeles, including both meetings last season. Their 90-89 loss at the Wachovia Center on Feb. 9, 2007, snapped their nine-game home winning streak against the Clippers.
Andre Iguodala, the Sixers’ leader with 19.4 points per game, has been a big part of the consecutive victories. He scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds Thursday, after getting 20 points against the Wizards.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are hoping Sam Cassell’s return to the lineup can help them post consecutive wins for the first time since opening the season with a four-game winning streak.
The point guard, who averages 13.1 points and a team-leading 4.5 assists per game, was suspended for Los Angeles’ 102-98 win at Toronto on Friday after a flagrant foul in Wednesday’s 111-100 loss at Boston.
"We’ve had a revolving door with our injuries, one to the next," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "We’ve got guys stepping in and playing hard. Every night it’s been close. We’re in games. It’s just a matter of having enough gas to finish someone off."
With Cassell back, Corey Maggette should get some additional offensive help after he scored a season-high 35 points and grabbed nine rebounds on Friday. That performance came after the swingman had 33 points and eight boards against the Celtics.
All four of Maggette’s 30-point games this season have come in his last eight contests.
Los Angeles also hopes Tim Thomas is able to bounce back from a nagging sore back that forced him out of Friday’s game after the first quarter.
"I tried but it just wouldn’t give in for me," said Thomas, who missed Wednesday’s game entirely. "I’ve got to talk to the training staff and see what’s going on."
By: Marc Young – theSpread.com – Email Us
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