It really feels like there's nothing that can stop the San Antonio Spurs right now. They've won six straight games, including the first two of the Rodeo Road Trip, and they're going to be heavily favored in the first game of a back-to-back at the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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SCHEDULING
The Spurs have historically done well on the Rodeo Road Trip, and at 17-8 on the road, there's a really good chance that's going to continue on Thursday night. We're a little worried about this being the front end of a back-to-back, but there's no way live bettors have to worry about Gregg Popovich resting any of his big dogs after the All-Star break.
The Clippers have home games to start off the second half of the year against the Spurs and Warriors, but we can't imagine them taking this one lightly, knowing that this is very likely their second round foe in the Western Conference playoffs.
KEY MATCHUP
The Spurs are going to foul DeAndre Jordan and foul him a lot. In their last meeting, Popovich arranged for Jordan to be on the stripe a total of 20 times. He made just eight of the shots.
Late in quarters, you almost can't bet on the Clippers, especially if they're in the bonus already. Jordan shoots just 42.3 percent from the stripe, and if he keeps up that average, it definitely is more beneficial to put him on the line more often than not.
The Spurs do play incredible defense, allowing teams to score 91.8 points per game, but it isn't beyond Popovich to try to extend this game by a dozen possessions or so by putting Jordan on the line to give more opportunities to an offense which is shooting 49.1 percent from the field, tops in the NBA.
It's tough to say that live bettors simply have to avoid the Clippers at the ends of quarters, but it surely feels that way. Until or unless Jordan figures out how to hit at least 60 percent of his foul shots, teams like San Antonio are going to continue to make him step up to the stripe and knock some freebees down.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
San Antonio is one of the top teams for bettors this year, but here on the road, things haven't been so great of late. Inevitably, the Spurs were destined to have some market correction at some point for live bettors, and going just 2-4 ATS in their last six road games of the first half of the year might be just the beginning of that.
The Clippers have been excellent in the first home game of a series at the Staples Center most of the year. Since December, they're 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS when hosting the first game of a stretch at the Staples Center, and the one failed cover came in a game which clearly should've been covered against the Lakers. The Clips lost out on the cover by a bucket in the dying seconds.
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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 game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers will tip at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 18, 2016 at the Staples Center. The contest will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
