They are hoping to make up some ground on the teams above them in the Western Conference, and can inch closer with a win over the Chicago Bulls this week. Los Angeles must go on the road for this matchup but has the superior roster, so the game figures to be competitive with a small spread.
The Bulls are fighting for a playoff spot and will also have plenty of motivation to pick up a nice home win against a quality opponent.
At 8:30 p.m. ET, tune into ABC for live television coverage of this NBA basketball game on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Clippers are 36-23 straight up and 30-29 against the spread. They have played in 31 road games this season and have covered in 15 of them. Los Angeles is 19-20 against the spread as the favorite this season and has covered in 10 of 19 attempts as the underdog.
The Bulls are 30-30 straight up and also 30-30 against the spread. Chicago has played in 30 home games and, true to form, has split those games as well when attempting to cover. The Bulls are 12-16 against the spread as the favorite and 18-13 against the spread as the underdog.
Key Stat
23. That’s the number of losses the Clippers have this season, the same as the Utah Jazz, which are currently a half-game up on Los Angeles for the No. 4 seed in the West. These teams seem to be on a crash course for a first-round matchup, and while the Clippers would likely be favored to win the series either way, the home court would come in handy.
If the Clippers can keep their stars healthy down the stretch they seem likely to overtake the Jazz for the fourth seed, though it will be tough catch the Rockets for the third seed as Houston is ahead by five games.
Los Angeles was one of the best teams in the NBA early on and is hoping to get back into that groove now that Paul and Griffin are back in the lineup after some injuries.
Player to Watch
Rajon Rondo -- The former star point guard has seen an uptick in playing time of late for the Bulls. Rondo has been in and out of the rotation but could be a key piece down the stretch with his experience.
Rondo has put together a nice pair of back-to-back games before this one. He had 19 points, five rebounds and four blocks last time out in a loss to the Nuggets and had 15 points, five assists and two steals the game before against the Cavaliers in a blowout victory. Rondo is averaging 6.9 points, 6.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per contest this season.
Rondo has seen more minutes in part because Michael Carter-Williams has missed some time with a knee injury, and it will be interesting to see how the playing time is dispersed when Carter-Williams gets healthy. The recent trade for guard Cameron Artis-Payne further complicates matters.
Free NBA ATS Pick
If the Clippers truly fancy themselves contenders, they should be able to knock off a team that is the epitome of a .500 ballclub. Even on the road, this is a big litmus test for Los Angeles.
While it seems unlikely the Clippers can make much noise in the playoffs, they are still clinging to that hope. Chicago contemplated trading star Jimmy Butler near the deadline, so clearly it knows this isn’t a group that will go far in the postseason.
However, the Bulls are a tough team at home and hope to pull it out. In the end, a big game from Paul could help lead the Clippers to a close victory.
NBA Odds: Clippers 106, Bulls 101
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