After losing the last two games the No. 3 Los Angeles Clippers (7-6 SU, 7-6 ATS) and No. 2 Houston Rockets (7-4 SU, 6-5 ATS) play a deciding Game Seven on Sunday. You can watch the game live on ABC.
The Clippers have lost two straight closeout games after previously leading the series 3-1 – losses that have prevented them from advancing to their first conference final. Now, after falling apart at home and losing 119-107 Thursday, the Clippers face a deciding Game Seven Sunday in Houston. LA has won its last three Game Sevens, including a win at Memphis in the 2012 first round. It’s been a wild series with each team going 2-1 ATS on the road with the over cashing in all six games.
A stunning fourth quarter rally has the Rockets on the verge of pulling off an improbable comeback series win over the Clippers. The Rockets silenced a sellout Staples Center crowd outscoring the Clippers 40-15 in the fourth quarter erasing a 19-point deficit to force a Game Seven on Sunday. Written off after a pair of blowout losses in LA last weekend the Rockets suddenly look like the better team. We’ll find out Sunday.
KEY INJURY
There are no injuries to report.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“It’s awful to watch. It’s awful for our team, and we have to figure out in the next 48 hours how to get the players back because we can’t get this one back. We gave this on away.” – Clippers coach Doc Rivers.
BETTING TRENDS
- Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in its last five road games.
- Houston is 7-2 ATS in its last nine home games.
- The OVER is 9-1 in Los Angeles’ last 10 games overall.
KEY STATS
31: Houston outscored the Clippers by 31 points, 51 to 20, over the end of the third quarter and in the fourth to shock LA for the win.
4: The Clippers made four field goals in 22 attempts in the fourth quarter, a horrendous 18.2 percent, and were two of nine in three-pointers getting outscored 40-15.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Clippers had no one to blame but themselves. A Chris Paul free throw gave LA its biggest lead of the game at 87-68 with just over three minutes left in the third quarter. With 93 seconds to play in the third, the Rockets subbed out MVP runner-up James Harden. The Clips took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter. With a chance to reach their first conference final and climb out of the hole the neighboring Lakers put them in, the Clips inexplicably quit playing. “We were trying to run the clock and we stopped playing. They kept playing and then once if got to eight, you could just feel it,” coach Doc Rivers said.
Even with James Harden on the bench the Rockets weren’t going to be denied. Reserve Cory Brewer scored 15 of his 19 points in the final quarter with Harden a cheerleader on the sideline and the Rockets showed a lot of heart overcoming a 19-point third quarter deficit to extend the series to a seventh game. Harden did score 23 points and Dwight Howard added 20 and 21 rebounds but the play of Brewer, Terrance Jones and Josh Smith, who scored 14 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, was largely responsible for the comeback win.
The Clippers still have an opportunity to put Thursday’s epic collapse behind them and reach that all elusive third playoff round. The Clips have won three straight Game Sevens, including a win over the Spurs in the opening round. They also beat Memphis on the road in 2012 and Golden State last season, but it’s tough to imagine them getting it done after their meltdown on Thursday. The Rockets have everything going for them right now and must compete with the same sense of urgency to get the win over a fragile Clippers team. LA showed resiliency in the first round win over San Antonio and I like them to regroup and get another Game Seven win.
Los Angeles 112, Houston 109
The NBA lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next half. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. 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 matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets will go down Sunday, May 17, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center. The game will be televised nationally on ABC.
