A rematch of Western Conference powers should be a good one as Oklahoma City hosts the LA Clippers Wednesday. Los Angeles rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit to beat the Thunder 103-98 back on March 2, and more scoring is expected in this rematch making live wagering at BookMaker the place to be with back-and-forth action and plenty of opportunities to wager and win.
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WHEN THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS HAVE THE BALL
The Clippers are 23-7 playing without forward Blake Griffin, but he’s practicing and close to returning from injury. However, he’ll not likely be ready for this match-up, and the Clippers will be coming off a high-scoring up-and-down game at Dallas Monday.
Clippers point guard Chris Paul has carried the team and shined, but he’s been battling a number of ailments in recent weeks. He had 20 points and 13 assists to lead LA to their comeback win over the Thunder a week ago, and he’ll be instrumental in getting the Clippers offense to score more in this road game.
Sharp shooting guard J.J. Redick has been consistent in scoring 16 points per game and should launch at least six 3-pointers in this contest, while newly acquired forward Jeff Green gives LA more scoring strength inside with Paul Pierce’s ailments and declined production. Austin Rivers returned last week after missing 10 games, and scored 11 points in 18 minutes against the Hawks in defeat.
DeAndre Jordan is the league’s No. 2 rebounder with 14 per game, and the center will need another big game to the Clippers to have a shot in this redemption rematch for Oklahoma City.
WHEN THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER HAVE THE BALL
The Thunder had lost four of five heading into their Sunday game at Milwaukee despite the offense scoring 119, 118 and 106 points in defeat. They scored 104 in beating the Bucks with Russell Westbrook posting his tenth triple-double of the season. The other loss was to these Clippers in Los Angeles 103-98.
Oklahoma City blew a 20-point halftime lead and was outscored 35-13 in the fourth quarter. This contest will have real redemption in play and the Thunder should hold nothing back in pouring on the points.
Oklahoma City has one of the league’s most explosive offenses with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant ranking No. 2 and 3 in the league in player efficiency ratings. Westbrook is No. 2 in the league in assist ratio behind his opponent Chris Paul. Westbrook also leads the league in usage rate, which is the number of possessions a player uses per 40 minutes.
Durant’s true shooting percentage is No. 2 in the league while scoring 28 points per game on 51 percent shooting including nearly 40 percent from the arc and 90 percent from the free throw line. But he hit just 3-of-12 long range shots at LA while Westbrook’s outside shooting has continued to plague the team hitting less than 30 percent from three point range including 2-of-7 in the loss at Los Angeles. Those two stars also had 11 of the 17 costly turnovers in defeat.
Serge Ibaka and center Steven Adams combined for 20 rebounds against the Clippers, and center Enes Kanter had eight boards in 14 minutes, and those players will need to be even stronger against Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who was strong down the stretch in finishing with 20 points and 18 rebounds against the Thunder.
LIVE BETTING SCENARIO
This high-paced back and forth game is going to offer lots of live betting opportunities with adjusted prices and totals. Following a 61 point first quarter in the March 2nd game, the poor shooting kept the score under the posted total of 218 points. Both teams hit less than 30 percent from three point range on over 60 long range attempts.
Expect more shots to fall and a higher-scoring outcome with Oklahoma City ranking No. 2 in offensive efficiency and No. 8 in pace of play. The Thunder should dictate pace more in this rematch, and the fast pace and transition basketball should produce plenty of scoring with more shots falling and additional free throw attempts after the Thunder had just 11 in the March 2nd contest and made 10 of them.
For the season, the Thunder get 18 percent of their points from the free throw line, and with more shots falling along with free throw attempts, live betting should favor OKC bettors in a higher-scoring finish.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today!The contest pitting the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder will take place Wednesday, March 9, 2016, at 9:30 p.m. ET at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
