It is the battle of Los Angeles tonight, as we come to round three between the Lakers and Clippers. We have gone over all of the odds and we have our best NBA pick for the matchup ready for your viewing.
Three games really stand out for me tonight, starting with
Boston's home clash against the high-flying San Antonio Spurs. Miami hosts
Oklahoma City as well in what should be another fantastic game.
The third involves the two Los Angeles teams, and is the game
we'll be covering here. It just so happens that both squads are playing
exceptional ball right now.
The Lakers, who will be the “visitors” tonight, have won
three straight and are 6-2 SU over their last eight.
Last night they topped the New Jersey Nets 91-87 behind a
game-high 24 points from Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba added seven boards and
three assists. Ramon Sessions again was great, collecting 19 points, 11 assists
and six rebounds, while Pau Gasol came through with a double-double of his own.
Lakers have been great team to fade
Despite the win, the Lakers have not covered a NBA betting
spread in seven consecutive games, but will try to cure that tonight at Staples
Center.
The Clippers have won six in a row and are 5-1 ATS in those
games. Their latest was the most impressive of the bunch as they tore the
Mavericks up 94-75 in Dallas.
Randy Foye hit an amazing eight threes and finished with 28
points, while Blake Griffin (15 points and 16 rebounds) came up big again as
Los Angeles dominated the Mavs from the opening tipoff.
With both L.A. teams playing as well as they are, tonight's
encounter is going to be that much more entertaining.
One big question mark, and something you should keep
tracking attentively, surrounds Andrew Bynum. He's been bothered by an ankle
problem but has stated that he'll try to play against the Clippers. In two
games against them this season he's averaged 15.5 points, 11 rebounds and two
blocks.
Another angle that could affect this game's outcome is Ramon
Sessions, who's been terrific for the Lakers since being acquired at the trade
deadline. He's averaged 13.8 PPG, 7.2 APG and 3.6 RPG for his new club.
Sessions faces probably his biggest test of the season up
against Chris Paul, and if he can hang that will be a big boost to the Lakers' chances of
securing a win.
Intensity should be high
This game is huge for a number of reasons. Obviously
bragging rights for the city of Los Angeles are up for grabs. More importantly,
if the Lakers win, they'll open up a 2.5 game lead in the Pacific, while a
Clippers victory would cut the gap to just a half game.
There's plenty to play for tonight and both teams will be
going hard. But who will cover the NBA odds?
Personally, I feel like you can't make any NBA picks on this
game until you know if Bynum's playing or not. Josh McRoberts has been filling
in, meaning the Lakers could be in a lot of trouble if Bynum can't go. The
Clippers are one of the best rebounding teams around.
That's another reason I like the UNDER for tonight. Griffin
and DeAndre Jordan will pounce on any missed shots and won't give the Lakers
any second-chance opportunities to score. The Clippers have also been excellent
defensively lately, allowing just 87.8 PPG over their last five. They're
holding teams to 26.4 percent shooting from three.
Seventeen of the Clippers' 28 home games have finished below
the total and I think we'll see a gritty affair between two teams that really
don't like each other. I don't foresee a lot of easy buckets tonight so I'm
adding the UNDER to my sports picks.
FREE Pick: UNDER 188
TREND BREAKDOWN
Lakers are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games overall
Lakers are 9-19 ATS in their last 28 road games
Clippers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall
Clippers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games
OVER is 4-0 in the last 4 head-to-head meetings
Clippers are 9-3 ATS in the last 12 head-to-head meetings