The LA Clippers travel to the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, March 1st.
Los Angeles is currently 32-31 on the season and they are in this place in the Pacific Division team standings and 8th in the Western Conference ladder, five games behind the Denver Nuggets for the 6th seed and final outright playoff spot in the West. The Clippers have won six out of their last 10 games played, including their last three. They outlasted this same Rockets team 99-98 over the weekend.
Houston is 15-45 SU on the season and they are in the bottom of the Southwest Division and the Western Conference. The Rockets have the second-worst record in the entire NBA and they head to this matchup having lost nine straight games and with only one win in their last 10 assignments.
Without Kawhi and PG, Reggie Jackson has been the Clippers’ top scorer at 16.7 points per game. He is also the team leader in passing at 4.6 assists per contest. Ivica Zubac leads the team with 8.1 points per game while also scoring 9.7 points per outing. Marcus Morris Jr. is also contributing 15.9 points per game while Luke Kennard is putting up 11.8 points per contest.
Jackson scored 26 points, including three big three-point baskets down the stretch as the Clippers edges a stubborn Rockets team 99-98 last Sunday. Ivica Zubac posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds while Morris added 13. Isaiah Hartenstein also scored 12 off the bench.
The Clippers rank 24th in the NBA in scoring at 106.7 points per game. They are 20th in rebounding at 44.2 boards grabbed per contest, and 19th in passing at 23.5 assists per game. Los Angeles has the 10th best scoring defense in the entire league at 107.4 points per game allowed this season.
Christian Wood leads Houston with 17.6 points per game. Wood is also the team’s top rebounder at 10.1 boards grabbed per contest. Rookie Jalen Green is putting up 14.7 points per game while Eric Gordon is averaging 14.1 points per contest. Kevin Porter Jr. is scoring 13.5 points per game and issuing 6.1 assists per contest.
Garrison led the Rockets with 17 points against the Clippers last weekend. Alpern Sengun also added 15 points off the bench while Kenyon Martin Jr. also put up 10 as a reserve. Wood only scored 15 points on 12 shots while Jae’Sean Tate added 14 with 6 rebounds. Dennis Schroder had a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists in the losing effort.
The Rockets are 18th in the league in scoring at 108.4 points per game this season. They are last in rebounding at 42.2 boards grabbed per contest and 24th in passing at 23.1 assists per game. Houston has the league’s worst scoring defense at 117.8 points per game allowed this season.
The Clippers are 5-1 SU in their last six games played. Los Angeles is 14-18 SU in 32 road games played this season, and 3-8 SU in their last 11 games against the Southwest Division. The Rockets are 0-9 SU in their last nine games played. Houston is 1-14 SU in their last 15 games played at home, and 4-16 SU in their last 20 games played in March.
Head to head, the Clippers are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Rockets and have won five out of their last six meetings.
Give props to Ty Lue for keeping this Clippers team in playoff contention despite playing without Kawhi Leonard the entire season and Paul George for a large part. This team is a scrappy bunch that finds different ways to win games. That said, the Rockets are one of the worst teams in the NBA this season and have struggled to win at home.
Houston’s defense is dead last in the league so even without their two All-Stars, the Clippers will find ways to score points in this game. With the Rockets also struggling on offense and the Clippers having the 10th best scoring defense in the league, this should be an easy win for the Clippers.
Prediction: LA Clippers
The Clippers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games played. Los Angeles is 17-15 ATS in 32 road games played this season, 6-2 ATS in their last eight Tuesday games, 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games when playing on one day rest, 5-1 ATS in their last six games against the Western Conference, 4-1 ATS in their last five road games after an ATS loss, but 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games against an opponent with a losing home record.
The Rockets are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games played. Houston is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games against the Western Conference, 7-19 ATS in their last 26 games after a straight up loss, 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games against an opponent with a winning straight up record, 2-6 ATS in their last eight Tuesday games, 2-7 ATS in their last nine games after an ATS win, and 16-43 ATS in their last 59 home games.
Head to head, however, the Rockets are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings. Houston is also 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings at the Toyota Center.
The Rockets have struggled on both ends of the floor this season and the Clippers have been stellar on defense. That alone will make you want to place your bet on the Clippers who have been impressive in playing without their two superstars for most of this season.
The Clippers still have potent scorers like Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard who can get hot on any given night. With Houston’s defense ranking last in the NBA, you’d expect a big performance from those scorers.
Sure, the Rockets lost by just one point in their last meeting on Sunday and have dominated this series at the ATS market in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. However, this is still a playoff-worthy Clippers team facing a Rockets squad that is trying to coast the rest of the way. I’ll take the team that wants the win more badly.
Prediction: LA Clippers -7.5
The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by the Clippers. The under is 4-1 in their last five games played on the road, 6-0-1 in their last seven road games against an opponent with a home winning percentage of less than .400, and 8-3-1 in their last 12 road games against an opponent with a losing home record.
The total has gone over in four out of the last six games played by the Rockets. The over is 7-1-1 in their last nine home games against an opponent with a losing road record, 9-3 in their last 12 games after an ATS win, 18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 games when playing on one day rest, 20-8-1 ATS in their last 29 games after a straight up loss, 7-3 in their last 10 games against an opponent with a winning straight up record, and 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 home games.
Head to head, the total has gone under in four out of the last five meetings in Houston.
The Rockets have been so bad on offense but their defense has been worse and that has led to them having an OVER record of 34-25-1 this season, including 17-10 at home. These teams have combined to score an average of 227.3 points per game in their last 10 head-to-head meetings but remember that the Clippers don’t have Kawhi and PG13.
The Clippers should be able to pull away from the Rocket in this game but I don’t think they will get the help from the Rockets in hitting the over. Not especially with the kind of defense that the Clippers have been playing this season. The Clippers are also just 24th in scoring since they are without their two superstars so that doesn’t help either. Take the under here as their defense will be the Clippers’ key to victory.
Prediction: Under 230.5
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