Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets, Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Saturday, April 9, 2011, 8:30 pm Eastern, TV: FSPT, KTXH
Opening Line: Rockets -7
Current Line: Rockets -8
Opening Total: 213
Current Total: 215.5
Money Line: Rockets -350 / Clippers +290
The Los Angeles Clippers (31-49) and Houston Rockets (41-38) will both try to win for the first time in three games and finish the regular season strong with only a few games remaining. The Rockets (-8) were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Friday when Memphis won to claim the final spot in the Western Conference.
Houston is coming off a 101-93 loss at New Orleans on Wednesday, the second of two consecutive losses on back-to-back nights that essentially sealed the team’s fate with three games left to play. The Rockets failed to cover the spread for the fourth time in five games and blew a 38-21 lead at the end of the first quarter against the Hornets. They were led by Kevin Martin’s team-high 21 points while Luis Scola and Goran Dragic each added 16.
Meanwhile, the Clippers wrap up a four-game road trip in Houston and will be playing the second night in a row after losing 107-96 at Dallas on Friday. They did not cover the spread for the first time in four games despite a game-high 29 points from Mo Williams while Rookie of the Year favorite Blake Griffin had 23 and nine rebounds. Like the Rockets, LA also jumped out to an early lead on the road only to fade away in the end. The Mavs trailed 35-19 after one and then proceeded to outscore Los Angeles by nine points in each of the last three quarters.
The OVER cashed in the second straight game for the Clips following three straight UNDERs. They have given up an average of nearly 110 points in their last two games after holding their previous two opponents to an average of 86.5 points in a pair of wins.
Houston has also struggled defensively for the most part over the last nine games. The Rockets have allowed eight of their past nine opponents to score more than 100 points, the exception being a 112-87 road win at New Jersey on March 29. Still, the UNDER is 4-2 in their last six games overall, a trend that could continue against LA.
The teams have split the last four meetings both straight-up and against the spread with the UNDER cashing each time. Houston had won the previous three games between the teams before that with the OVER going 2-1. The Clippers are 4-10 ATS in the last 14 meetings and 4-9 ATS in their past 13 overall.
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