L.A. Clippers at Houston Rockets

Time: 6:30 PM CST, Wed (ESPN)

Spread: HOU -2

Total: 234

odds c/o 5dimes

The Houston Rockets is 7-3 and in first place in the Southwest Division. It has won four straight and will host the visiting Los Angeles Clippers in the first game of an ESPN Wednesday night doubleheader. The Rockets are 2-point favorites in the affair, which will be televised at 6:30 PM (CST) and has an over/under listed at 234 total points according to NBA oddsmaker at bookmaker 5dimes.

HOU

Houston’s last game against the New Orleans Pelicans was a high-scoring affair, as most Pelicans and Rockets contests have been in 2019. Houston won 122-116. Houston scored 28 or more in all four quarters, and James Harden was the main carrier of the load as one would expect. Beard had 39 points and nine assists, shooting 13 of 25 from the field, but just 3 of 11 from three-point range. He also knocked down 10 of 14 from the free-throw line.

Harden is averaging a silly 37.3 points per game on the season with 8.3 assists to his credit as well. While his 29 percent from three clearly needs improving, he is taking an enormous offensive load on, even with Russell Westbrook joining him (essentially replacing Chris Paul in the lineup).

Westbrook has fared well as a Rocket, though. He is shooting 47.2 percent from the floor while posting per-game averages of 21.9 points, 11.7 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 2.4 blocks/steals in 34 minutes a night. The Rockets thus far appear to have great chemistry, which was something that was both developed quickly and unexpected by many naysayers and pundits who mostly felt that Harden and Westbrook would be unable to share the ball well together. Due to the fact that both rely on having the ball in their hands to create offense, it remains to be seen how long and how well this pairing of Westbrook and Harden works.

The pair once was together in OKC, but neither is used to the role they respectively played during that time. Westbrook has averaged 11.5 assists per game over the last two, and his minutes seem to be locked in at 33 to 35 per game, which should take some of the load off of it, in the name of the ever-present “load management.”

The Rockets have also got more offense out of center Clint Capela this season. He is averaging 13 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.2 blocks/steals per game. PJ Tucker has seen his role offensively increase, and he is taking advantage, averaging 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Eric Gordon has seen his role change with Westbrook aboard, and he is not doing as much as he had in the past two seasons, either. But then again, this is a Houston team that averages 120.3 points per game, so perhaps asking for more offense from any player at this point resembles nothing but greed.

LAC

The Clips have won four of its last five, including the last game’s 98-88 victory over the Toronto Raptors. Even so, it trails the Lakers by a full game in the division standings.

It is just that this team has so many weapons, and its defense is elite. Leonard averages 29 points per game in just 30 minutes a night while posting a silly high PER (Player Efficiency Rating) of 31.86.

Veteran Lou Williams is timeless, and the veteran ranks No. 2 on the team in scoring at 22.4 points per game. Not to be forgotten is the other big scorer off its bench, one Montrezl Harrell. Harrell is quietly (if such a thing can be said) averaging 20.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while posting his own very high PER f of 28.10.

Those three score 20-plus points per game scorers comprise most of the offense for the Clips, but the team has another four players averaging between seven and ten points per game.

There is so much depth on this roster, and the Clips have turned several journeymen into very productive players, including JaMychal Green and Patrick Patterson. The pair is a good combo at the 4-spot, given Patterson’s mid-range jumper and Green’s intense defense. The duo complements one another well, but that really can be said running through the roster: The parts all fit together very well. Now, with George returning soon to the lineup and all systems go, we are about to get a chance to see just how good this Clippers team can really be.