Los Angeles Clippers At Houston Rockets
Time: 8:05 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: HOU -3.5
Total: 215
Betting odds c/o Bovada
The L.A. Clippers and Houston Rockets find themselves perhaps situated in the reverse order of where prognosticators may have expected the franchises this season. The Clippers, losers of 5 of its past 10 SU are 3.5 point underdogs in live NBA lines to a 38-18 Houston Rockets team that is situated No. 3 in the West.
The Clippers are just 1.5 games behind Houston, though, and will have to dig deep to win this one without star forward Blake Griffin who is nursing a staph infection for the next three to four weeks. The total set for this game is 215, for an explanation of how to bet the over/unders see our NBA odds explained.
While the Clippers are without its starting All-Star power forward, the Houston Rockets are missing two of its five starters too, with Patrick Beverley listed as questionable (illness) and Dwight Howard still out another six to eight weeks (knee). Houston still has won its past two games, and Josh Smith in particular seems to be adapting well. He’s hit 17 of his past 33 from three-point range and is averaging just under 12 points per game in 25 minutes a night. Corey Brewer is a perfect fit at the 2-guard spot, while Trevor Ariza has been his usual steady self.
The difference has been that James Harden is playing at an MVP-level. He’s leading the NBA in scoring with 27.3 points per game while still dishing out 6.8 assists and corralling 5.8 rebounds. His once oft-criticized defense has been more than passable, as he’s been looking to make plays and cash in on the brilliance of Bev and Ariza when they funnel defenders to him. Harden is good for 2.74 blocks/steals per game this season, and it is helping further ignite the Rockets in transition. Harden’s PER of 27.3 speaks volumes as to his efficiency, and a large part of that is getting to the free throw line.
The former Sixth Man of the Year has thrived as a true number one option, getting 9.5 free throws per game and knocking them down at an 87 percent clip. Harden gets up 18.1 field goals per game, and it seems he could elevate that further still when the postseason comes. The Rockets fall short in some areas, the bench being a big one, but with Harden playing his absolute best, it is a dangerous team. The Clippers will pose a challenge but Houston is 20-8 at home this season. The Clippers are just 14-12 on the road.
With Griffin on the shelf, the Clippers have turned to Spencer Hawes to play the bulk of the minutes at the 4-spot. He shot 4 of 12 including a three for nine points in the Clippers 90-87 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Monday (Feb 23) night. Hawes is a decent rim protector though, and he did impact the game by changing some shots and blocking three. That is an element that Griffin, despite his immense athleticism, lacks.
Even so, DeAndre Jordan more than adequately fills that role for the Clippers and the seven-footer leads the NBA in rebounding this season. While his free throws remain one of the ugliest monuments built by mankind, it is slightly irrelevant given that he is such a good finisher teams often choose to let him do so.
The number of players capable of bodying up with Griffin is pretty much limited to Andre Drummond, Nikola Pekovic, Tyson Chandler and Marc Gasol. Expect Griffin to have a monster game against the Rockets given that Howard will not be there to combat him. The Clippers always have Chris Paul to carry the load, and he will. Paul hit 13 of 22 from the floor, including 2 of 3 from three-point range, for 30 points and 10 assists in the loss to Memphis.
Expect Paul to push the pace in this despite the fact that is even to Houston’s favor. Paul is capable of exploiting either an ill Patrick Beverley or a below average defending Jason Terry. It’s not as though Terry is horrible, but a focused Paul is unstoppable even for the best defenders at the point guard position.
