The Clippers could use a break after a testy two-game road trip to Dallas and Oklahoma City. They’re likely to get it against New York, as long as they don’t look ahead to games with Cleveland and San Antonio, which are next up on the docket.
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LOOK AHEAD
As if things weren’t bad enough for the Knickerbockers, they began a six-game road trip with a loss in Denver and play the first three games in the span of four nights. They visit the Clippers on Friday after Wednesday’s contest with the Suns. It wasn’t long ago that the Knicks were in contention for a playoff spot in the East, but they went 4-17 SU and 8-13 ATS in 21 games since Jan. 22. The fateful stretch started with a 116-88 loss to the Clippers at the Garden. New York looks to reverse a losing trend on the road. The Knicks lost for the third straight time and fell to 1-10 on the road in their last 11 games following Tuesday’s loss to the Nuggets.
If there was ever a trap game, this could be it for the Clippers. Following Wednesday’s battle in Oklahoma City, the Clips have the east-leading Cavaliers on Sunday and a trip to the Lone Star state to face the Spurs and Rockets early next week. That’s a lot of basketball against some of the best teams in the league. And before LeBron and the Cavs set foot on the Staples Center floor, the Clips host the free-falling Knicks on Friday night. At 26-39, the Knicks are a team the Clippers could easily bypass. And LA has shown us the ability to slip up against lesser competition this season. A home loss to Denver on Feb. 24 is one. There was also a six-point home loss to Minnesota on Feb. 3 and loss to the Kings at Staples on Jan. 16. All those coming within the Clippers’ last 12 games at home.
INJURIES
Lance Thomas missed Tuesday’s game with a sore knee and is questionable to play over the first part of the road trip. Also, look for Carmelo Anthony to get a night off on more occasions as we push toward the end of the year. Anthony is playing about 38 minutes since Kurt Rambis became coach, that’s a lot with little to play for on a surgically repaired knee.
The Clippers have been without forward Luc Mbah a Moute since Feb. 29. He suffered a lacerated eyelid during a game with the Nets and coach Doc Rivers isn’t sure when he’s coming back to the lineup. Jeff Green has been starting in his place.
KEY MATCHUP
If DeAndre Jordan could make some free throws his scoring numbers would skyrocket. Apparently he got the memo. Jordan put up 23 points and 20 rebounds, even hitting 11 of 19 freebies in a win over Dallas on Monday night. His impact on both ends helped swing the game. He rebounded everything, ran the floor, and sucked in the defense on pick-and-rolls, which created space for LA’s shooters to dial in from deep. It’s basically what he’s done all season, and particularly since Blake Griffin went down after Christmas. Jordan’s play of late has been particularly notable. His first 20-20 game of the season came less than a week after he put up 20 points and 18 rebounds in a win over Oklahoma City. So much of LA’s offensive success without Griffin has come from a simple pick-and-roll with him and Chris Paul. There’s no safe defensive play for New York and trying to stop Jordan with Robin Lopez and Kristaps Porzingis will prove to be fruitless.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Knicks have fallen on some hard times, turning a once promising season into another without postseason games. The year started well enough with Porzingis becoming the media darling and Melo looking like himself again. But the Knicks are who they are – a team with little depth and no front court presence despite having two 7-footers on the roster. The ouster of Derrick Fisher has done little to motivate the sad group, and Rambis might put Melo back on the bench soon by playing him nearly 40 minutes per game. While in the meantime, the younger players like Jerian Grant continue to struggle for minutes. This has the makings of a trap game for LA with Cleveland and San Antonio next up on the schedule, but any hopes the Clips have of surpassing OKC for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference require them to win games against lesser foes.
Los Angeles 111, New York 98
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BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The contest pitting the New York Knicks versus the Los Angeles Clippers will commence Friday, March 11, 2016, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Staples Center. You can watch the game live on NBA TV.
