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The Houston Rockets are locked in to the third seed in the Western Conference, but if they have any designs at making a postseason run, they will want to be playing well heading into it. Houston will face off with fellow playoff participant the Los Angeles Clippers this week in a matchup that figures to be competitive.
The Clippers have the inferior record but get this one at home, so the spread figures to be small for one team or the other. The concept of resting players can’t be dismissed as the Rockets know where they will be slotted for the playoffs.
If any of their stars sit, that will change the complexion of this game in a big way. The Clippers are still jockeying for playoff positioning so it seems unlikely they rest anyone unless it’s absolutely needed.
This war on the floor will go down Monday, April 10, 2017, at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Monday schedule
NBA Odds
The Rockets are 53-25 straight up and 42-35-1 against the spread. Houston has played in 39 road games this season and has performed very well, going 24-14-1 in those contests. The Rockets are 8-3-1 attempting to cover as the underdog this season and has gone 32-31 against the spread as the favorite.
The Clippers are 48-31 straight up and 37-41-1 against the spread. Los Angeles has played in 39 home games this year and has gone 19-19-1 against the spread. The Clippers have covered in half of their 22 games as the underdog and have gone 25-30-1 against the spread as the favorite.
Player to Watch
James Harden -- The Beard combined for 56 points, 16 rebounds and 19 assists in Houston’s first two games against the Clippers this year. He will be poised for another big performance on Monday as two of the top teams from the West go head-to-head.
Harden had 31 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in the Rockets’ win over Denver on Wednesday after missing the game against Phoenix last Sunday with the flu. He is averaging 29.2 points, 11.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game.
Harden is among the top candidates for the NBA’s MVP this season and has been playing at an elite level all year long. He will no doubt be looking to close the season out on a high note over the last few games before leading his team into the playoffs.
Key Stat
140. That’s how many points the Rockets dropped on the Clippers the first time these two teams met back in December. Houston is 2-0 against LA this season, winning the second matchup in January in blowout fashion as well by a score of 122-104.
The 140-point game on December 30th was spearheaded by Harden, who finished with 30 points on the night and Montrezl Harrell, who had 29 points off the bench. Los Angeles will need to find a way to stop Harden to have a chance in this one.
What’s even more impressive about that number is that the Clippers are pretty solid on defense, holding opponents to 104.8 points per game. Only Golden State has scored more against the Clippers -- 144 on January 28th.
Free NBA ATS Pick
These teams are too close in talent level to forecast another blowout. The Rockets are the better team, but not that much better. The Clippers have the luxury of playing this one at home and should be plenty focused as they aim to grab the No. 4 seed in the West to get home court advantage in the first round.
Houston has put together a nice season, but on this night Los Angeles should have the advantage. The Clippers need to play enough defense to keep this one close. If that happens, they should be able to get some big shots from their bench to help pull out the win.
NBA Odds: Clippers 116, Rockets 114
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