The San Antonio Spurs have righted the ship after a midseason lull and are now on track to earn home court advantage in the first round of the NBA basketball playoffs. However, there are still several teams hot on their tail and the Spurs need to play well down the stretch. They have a lot of motivation next time out but so does their foe the Los Angeles Clippers, who are in a battle to simply make the postseason.
The Spurs have only been average on the road so even though they are the favorite there is no guarantee they are named the favorite in this matchup on the NBA basketball spread. Los Angeles is the No. 10 seed and needs to play really well the rest of the way to move up two spots and qualify for the postseason.
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Odds Analysis
The Spurs are 45-32 straight up and 39-34-4 against the spread. San Antonio has gone 15-21-2 against the spread on the road this season. The Spurs are 10-11-1 against the spread as the underdog this year.
The Clippers are 41-36 straight up and also 41-36 against the spread. Los Angeles has covered in 17 of 37 attempts as the home team this season. The Clippers are 22-17 against the spread as the favorite this season.
Injury Report
The Spurs have been awaiting the return of small forward Kawhi Leonard from a quadriceps injury but there is a real possibility he doesn’t play again this year. Leonard seems to have some tension with the team and it is unclear why he has yet to return to the court even though some people within the organization believe he is healthy enough to play.
Leonard was on the short list of MVP candidates a season ago but has barely seen the court this season. The Spurs do not look like a legitimate championship contender this season without their best player and Leonard does not seem to be coming back any time soon. His presence would significantly affect the spread whenever he does get back in the lineup.
Key Stat
2. That’s the number of games the Clippers sit behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoff race with only five games remaining. Los Angeles would also have to leapfrog the No. 9 seed Denver Nuggets in order to make the postseason.
The Clippers are also within three games of the Jazz and Timberwolves so if any of those teams struggle down the stretch Los Angeles will have a shot at making the postseason. Los Angeles has not done itself any favors of late, falling to the Trail Blazers and Pacers in back-to-back games to fall back in the standings.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Clippers’ fate will pretty much be sealed by losing as heartbreaker to the Spurs in this one. This is a toss-up game but San Antonio is playing well and should be able to come away with a last-second victory in order to pull off a small upset.
San Antonio is in good shape to get home court in the first round with solid play down the stretch and a victory in this one will be a big plus. The Spurs might not be the same caliber of team this year as in the past but they are still a solid group that should be able to knock off an inferior opponent in NBA basketball odds.
Look for the Spurs to dictate the pace as the “under” could be a good play.
NBA Odds: Spurs 101, Clippers 100
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