The Los Angeles Clippers have dropped three of their last four games, with a 0-4 spread record. Vinny Del Negro’s squad opens a six-game road trip with Thursday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings, who have cashed at 4-1 ATS in their last five home contests. Find out who we expect to cover tonight and where we are placing our NBA picks.
Sportsbooks opened Los Angeles as a four-point road favorite,
while first setting the ‘total’ at 200. Early NBA betting ‘steam’ on Sacramento and the ‘over’ moved the numbers to
3.5 and 201.5, respectively.
Clippers upset at home
Los Angeles returned to action after All-Star weekend with
Tuesday’s 109-97 defeat as a 6 ½-point home favorite against the Minnesota
Timberwolves. The Clippers were lit up
for 51.3 percent field shooting from Minnesota, including 10-of-22 buckets
connecting beyond the arc.
Clippers forward Blake Griffin notched a team-high 30 points,
while adding seven boards and four assists. Griffin’s mate DeAndre Jordan logged a second straight double-double,
finishing with 14 points and a matching 14 rebounds.
The contest’s combined 206 points leaped above the ‘total’ of 196,
lifting the ‘over’ to 3-1 in the Clippers’ last four games. Griffin and Co. edged out Minnesota in paint
points, 58-38, while Los Angeles’ Chris Paul logged six of his squad’s 20
assists.
Kings hold on as ‘chalk’
Sacramento logged its second straight win in Tuesday’s 103-96
triumph as a 3.5 point home favorite against the Utah Jazz. The Kings sank 24-of-29 free throws, while
outrebounding Utah, 49-43.
Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins piled in 22 points and 18 boards,
recording a second straight double-double. Sacramento’s Isaiah Thomas notched 18 points and a team-high eight
assists, hitting 6-of-12 from the field.
The battle’s combined 199 points dipped below the closing ‘total’
of 201.5, making the ‘under’ 3-2 in the Kings’ last five home dates. Sacramento allowed the Jazz to connect at
47.1 percent from the field, while Kings center Jason Thompson finished with
three of his squad’s seven blocks.
Back “Sac” as the home
dog
Thursday’s matchup is scheduled for 10 p.m. (ET), with both foes are
playing the front end of a back-to-back spot. Friday’s league slate sends Sacramento south to visit the Los Angeles
Lakers, while the Clippers continue their road journey in Phoenix.
I am adding the Kings to my NBA picks tonight, looking for Keith
Smart’s squad to notch another cashed ticket at Power Balance Pavilion. Sacramento is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 spots
as an underdog, while logging an 8-1 spread mark in its last nine contests
against Western Conference rivals.
Cousins (11.5 RPG) presently ranks fourth in boards for
Sacramento, while being a hot 10-of-11 at the foul line in his last two
games. The 21-year-old is hitting some
nice form as the season nears its final stretch, with his mates looking poised
to not ‘tank’ as of yet.
The Clippers have been overvalued in recent spots, going 1-5 ATS
in their last six that followed allowing 100 points or more in the team’s prior
duel. “Sac-town” is not the ideal place
for a turnaround to happen, with the Kings going 4-0-1 ATS in its last five
home meetings against Los Angeles.
Sacramento has put up 97.9 PPG at home, while draining from
downtown at 33.1 percent. The Clippers
have allowed a sizable 45.2 percent field shooting in their road jerseys,
including 35.4 percent beyond the arc.
Los Angeles has seen its scoring drop without veteran Chauncey Billups in the
lineup, falling to 94.6 PPG in its last 10 games. Look for a back-and-forth battle here, with
the Kings holding on for cashed tickets as the matchup comes down to the final
buzzer.