San Antonio at L.A. Clippers
Time: 9:35 PM CT, TNT
Spread: LAC -6.5
Total: 216
Odds c/o Bovada
The San Antonio Spurs will face the L.A. Clippers as the second half of a TNT doubleheader at 9:30 PM (CT). The Clippers are 6.5-point favorites in the game, which has an over/under set at 216 points according to NBA oddsmakers at Bovada.
LAC
Veteran forward Tobias Harris has taken over as leader of the Clippers since it parted ways with its trio of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan. Harris has been great, to the tune of 20.7 points per game, 8.9 rebounds and 1.09 steals/blocks. His right-hand man has been sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari, who is tallying 19.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 30 minutes a night. The ageless Lou Williams is continuing yet another Sixth Man of the Year bid, with 18.6 points in 25 minutes a night. The biggest surprise perhaps has been the play of former Louisville forward Montrezl Harrell. The 6’7” power forward is undersized, but he is never short on energy. He is averaging 13.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in just 22 minutes a night.
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Rookie point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been impressive, too, with 9.6 points and 3.3 assists per game in 27 minutes a night. Most importantly, Shai passes the “eye test” with the look of an NBA point guard who will be around a long time. Patrick Beverley backs him up, as another guy who is never short on energy. The defensive pest is averaging 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists with 1.00 steals/blocks per game.
The Clippers have sneaky depth, and it has not even been getting the most out of DeAndre Jordan’s replacement, Marcin Gortat. Gortat has struggled with injuries and been on minute-restrictions, but once he rounds into form the Clippers should only get better. It has a 12 to 13 man rotation that is solid the whole way through, and while its opponent has the top-shelf talent, the Clippers could work away at it with high-energy fresh players on its home court.
SAN ANT
San Antonio is 6-4 and in first place in the Southwest Division, even with its rag-tag cast. DeMar DeRozan replaced Kawhi Leonard this summer as the headlining talent for the Spurs, and he seems to be fitting into the Gregg Popovich mold just fine. DeRozan is averaging 26.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists while posting a PER of 24.9. LaMarcus Aldridge has been consistent and good, tallying 18.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. And Rudy Gay is still a solid and versatile swingman. It is after this top-3 that the Spurs become a collection of, well, not household names.
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Byrn Forbes, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills all average double-figure points, but the rest of the bench is comprised of a lot of castaways, castaways that only Popovich seems to know how to get the best out of. Pau Gasol seems to be on his last legs averaging just 17.4 minutes per night, but Davis Betrans and Dante Cunningham were not thought to be much.
They are both valuable contributors for Pop, humble though their statistical contributions are. San Antonio will find a way to stay above .500 this season, but how far above .500 is really anyone’s guess. The Spurs are a solid team with a legendary coach, but the Clippers have been rolling with its veteran talents and well-rounded team. Pop continually gets blood from oranges with his rag-tag cast, but the Clippers have a lot of chemistry and are sneaky-talented with veterans who have stood the test. Sure, that description could equally apply to Pop’s team, but with Gasol declining and the “Big 3” both departed (in the case of Tony Parker) and retired (in the cases of Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan), the Spurs are in a strange “reset,” as it is tough to call it a rebuilding effort at this point.
