New Orleans at L.A. Clippers
Time: 9:30 CT (ESPN)
Spread: NOP -8
Total: 224
Odds c/o 5dimes
When the New Orleans Pelicans lost DeMarcus Cousins for the season, many figured it would be curtains to any hopes the team had at contending or even making the postseason. Not so! Anthony Davis has stepped up his play one notch further and should be in serious contention for the league’s MVP Award (Though it likely will go to Houston’s James Harden!). Davis is one of the quickest and best offensive bigs since the juggernauts of the 1990s, and if the Pelicans are to ride any postseason success it will be on the shoulders of “Brow.”
Meanwhile, Cousins recovers from an Achilles’ injury that will likely cause him to miss at least half of next season, as well.
However, his friendship with Davis bodes very well for the Pelicans re-signing “Boogie,” and most in NBA circles believe Cousins is, indeed, destined to return to New Orleans. Paramount also in the team’s surge sans Cousins, has been Jrue Holiday returning his play to an All-Star level. While once regarded as a pure point guard, Holiday has drawn defensive assignments at four positions, and his versatility is helping New Orleans overcome its lack of talent and depth at the 3-spot. Truth be told,
The Pelicans are a lot closer to building a complete team than most realize, and it will require adding a “three and D” wing player to replace the inefficient and poor play of Solomon Hill. Hill was a gamble by management, and a case of a team overspending to try to fill a position. While New Orleans once looked like a team riddled with “Holes” it now appears to be a team that is maybe one or two more moves away from being a true contender. And it is likely to crash the postseason after several years of struggling.
CLIPPERS Notes:
Los Angeles may have dealt superstar Blake Griffin, but it still retained leading scorer Lou Williams and re-signed him to a contract. He is averaging 23.3 points 2.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 32.5 minutes a night. The Clippers seemingly have just slid new acquisition Tobias Harris directly into the role once occupied by Griffin, and the role has been a revelation for Harris.?Through his first two games (both wins) he averaged 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and two assists per game while posting a PER of 17.4. Albeit, those figures are all shy of what Griffin did, but not tremendously so. Pairing Harris along with sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari gives the Clips a good 1-2 scoring punch in the frontcourt and Austin
Rivers is really pretty damn good for a guy who had already been billed a bust.
This year, Rivers is averaging 15.8 points and 3.6 assists per game in 32 minutes a night, thriving as a three-positional talent that surely was expected to be this good, if only on his father’s legacy. DeAndre Jordan was thought to be a trade target for several teams, but he remains in Los Angeles.
It was rumored the Clippers offered him to Houston in exchange for Clint Capela and were rebuked, but this writer makes no claim to such sources or validates the validity of said-rumors. No matter the case, Jordan forms the third part of a staunch frontline for the Clippers and the team hardly lacks in depth.
Veteran combo guard Avery Bradley was also acquired with Harris, and he is generally regarded as one of the most underrated players and best one-on-one perimeter defenders in the Association. Bradley is averaging just 10 points and three assists through his first two games, but the last outing he was an efficient 6 of 10 from the floor with three steals.?He makes his impact, in short.
The Clippers might not be the chic pick as true contenders, but it reasons that L.A. can absolutely sneak into the playoffs and be a formidable opponent (in other words not be swept necessarily) to one of the top-tier teams in the West.
The team has sufficient leadership, talent, and just because its identity is not really the same without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin does not mean that these pros cannot come together to gel quickly before the postseason arrives. L.A. should remain on the radar of dark horse sneaky teams that have gone under the radar. There is enough talent on the roster to put up a fight.
