After the hottest start in the NBA, the Los Angeles Clippers have cooled off of late with two consecutive losses. It’s imperative for them to keep winning if they want to keep pace with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference.
A huge win would be a road upset of the Cleveland Cavaliers when they face off in an upcoming matchup. While Los Angeles would love to get the victory, LeBron James and Co. are playing at a high level right now and will certainly be favored to take care of business.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Quicken Loans Arena at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 1, 2016. Catch every moment of the game live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Clippers are 14-4 straight up and 10-8 against the spread this season. They are 5-4 against the spread on the road this season. Los Angeles has only been the underdog one time but did cover in that contest.
The Cavaliers are 13-2 overall but only 6-8-1 against the spread as the expectations are extremely high each time out as the defending NBA champions. Cleveland is 6-7-1 as the favorite and will certainly be giving points once again in this one.
Player to Watch
LeBron James - While each side has a host of All-Star players, there is only one King. LeBron is not scoring at a very high clip this season as Kyrie Irving is actually leading the team in scoring, but he can turn it on when needed.
James is averaging 23.6 points, 9.7 assists and 8.4 rebounds per game, again exerting his dominance against inferior competition. The Clippers have some athletic players but nobody who will consistently be able to slow down James if he gets in a groove.
The most they can hope is that he is cold from the field and that the other Cavs don’t put up big numbers as well.
Matchup To Watch
Kevin Love vs. Blake Griffin - These two play quite a different style, but are still the top power forwards on their team. Griffin is extremely athletic, but can’t lose sight of Love when guarding him because Love is a strong long-range shooter.
Portland found that out the hard way last week as Love put up a ridiculous 34 points in the first quarter alone while nailing eight 3-pointers. That was an NBA record and indicative of the damage he can do offensively.
Love is averaging 22.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game this season and is a big key to what Cleveland does offensively. It will be a challenge for him on the other end of the floor, though, in trying to contain Griffin.
The Clippers’ star forward is averaging 21.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and is extremely tough to stop in the open court. The player who gets the upper hand in this matchup will give his team a shot at coming out victorious.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Despite their hot start, two quick losses dropped the Clippers to third place in the West. The margin for error is extremely slim with such good teams alongside them, and Los Angeles will need to pull some upsets this year to keep pace.
Beating the Cavaliers on the road would be a huge one, but this task may be too tall. James is playing his typically stellar ball, and Love getting back up to form this year has been a big help. With Irving also playing well, the Cavs just have too much talent.
While Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan are good enough to keep this one close, take the Cavaliers to hold on for the win due to some late-game heroics from LeBron.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 108, Clippers 103
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