The Los Angeles Clippers had the best start in the NBA, but has come back down to earth of late. They have dropped to the second tier in the Western Conference, a place where they were pegged to begin the season. The Clippers would love to close the gap on the San Antonio Spurs and have a golden opportunity at home.
San Antonio is trying to chase down the Golden State Warriors for the top seed in the Western Conference this season, so this is a critical early-season matchup for both sides because playoff spots can often come down to a game or two by the end of the year.
San Antonio may be a slight road favorite but the spread should be close either way.
This war on the floor will go down Thursday, December 22, 2016, at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Staples Center. 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 Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Clippers are 20-8 straight up and 13-15 against the spread on the year. They are 6-7 against the spread at home on the year and have only been an underdog three times, of which they have covered twice.
The Spurs are 22-5 straight up and 14-12-1 against the spread. San Antonio is 9-5-1 against the spread on the road and 13-12-1 as the favorite. The only time San Antonio was an underdog this season was in a season-opening road win over the Warriors.
Injury Report
The Clippers would probably be favored in this one at full strength but could be underdogs because of the absence of star forward Blake Griffin. He recently suffered a knee injury which is expected to sideline Griffin for three to six weeks.
He is one of the most athletic players in the NBA and a vital cog for the Clippers. Griffin is averaging a team-high 21.2 points this season while adding 8.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.04 blocks per contest.
Griffin is shooting 49.4 percent from the field and has always been a great option in the open court. His injury is a big blow for the Clippers as they struggle to remain in the top echelon of teams in the West.
Player to Watch
Kawhi Leonard -- The Spurs have been able to absorb Tim Duncan’s retirement and remain among the best teams in the league because of the emergence of this star small forward.
Leonard is a star on both sides of the floor, averaging 24.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.9 steals on the year. He is a lockdown defender who can take away some of the other teams’ best wings on a consistent basis.
The Spurs still have a lot of other good players but Leonard is unquestionably the best on the team, as he continues to progress nicely as he takes on a bigger and bigger role as the careers of Dunca, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have winded down.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Spurs can win in any situation, so even a road game won’t scare them. San Antonio can now focus a lot on slowing down Clippers point guard Chris Paul as the team is much less scary offensively without Griffin.
Los Angeles could struggle to score in stretches and must put forth good effort on the other side of the floor. The Clippers are good enough to win this game at home, but will need to play close to perfect. That is unlikely to happen as the Spurs should be able to find the holes in a Griffin-less team and take advantage for the road victory to further drive home the point that it’s a two team race in the Western Conference in 2016.
NBA Odds: Spurs 99, Clippers 94
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