Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs
Wednesday, 12/28/11, 8:30 PM EST, TV: FOX SW
Opening Point Spread: San Antonio -4
Current Betting Line: San Antonio -4
Opening Total: 196
Current Total: 194.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Los Angeles certainly made a splash in its season-opening win over the Golden State Warriors, as newly-acquired point guard Chris Paul took over the game in the fourth quarter. The Clippers will now look to snap their 16-game losing streak on the road against the Spurs on Wednesday night. “While we try to figure each other out and learn guys’ hot spots and stuff like that, we want to win at the same time,” commented Paul. The former New Orleans Hornets star scored 20 points in his debut. Los Angeles is 8-27 ATS versus NBA Southwest opponents the last two-plus years.
The Clippers were very happy with the play of forward Caron Butler, who finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds on Christmas Day versus the Warriors. Blake Griffin picked up where he left off a year ago, scoring 20 or more points for the 56th time in his career. Los Angeles definitely has a new look and the roster includes five former All-Stars. That particular number is shared by just the Boston Celtics.
San Antonio got its revenge against the Memphis Grizzlies after last year’s playoff series loss, picking up a 95-82 win as 5.5-point home favorites on opening night. “We played a very good defensive game,” commented Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. “We did a good job of that and it fueled the break back the other way.” The Spurs hold an overall 113-29 advantage in the all-time series against the Clippers, including a 63-8 edge at home. San Antonio is 8-9 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points the last two-plus years.
The Spurs roster is definitely getting younger, as seven of the 13 players have less than three years of NBA experience. San Antonio still has its veteran core in Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, but some new faces are starting to make an impact. Ginobili led the team in scoring in the season opener, but has been held to 13.5 points per game in his last six tries against the Clippers. Defensively, the team will need to focus on stopping Paul, who has scored 26.3 points per game in his last eight trips to the Alamo city.
Bettors will likely back the Clippers due to their 10-3 ATS mark following a double-digit win, while the Spurs are 0-5 ATS as a favorite of 4.5 points or less.
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