It’s going to be extremely tough for the Los Angeles Clippers to get up for Friday night’s visit to the Toyota Center with its playoff placement all but determined with only three games remaining on the regular season docket. It would take nothing short of a miracle for it to unseat the Phoenix Suns as the Pacific Division winner. It’s more or less cemented in as the No. 3 seed in the West provided it doesn’t allow the Denver Nuggets to usurp their seed over their final three games. With that, it’s possible Tyronn Lue decides to rest a number of his starters against the Houston Rockets dependent upon what goes down in Charlotte the night prior. With that, I’d be wary about laying any type of points at online sportsbooks with the visitors until it’s known who will and won’t be suiting up for Los Angeles. With the worst record already locked up, the Rockets could go all out here in hopes of snapping a three game losing streak to the Clippers that would prevent LA from sweeping this season’s rivalry.
This Western Conference bout is set to go down live on Friday, May 14, 2021. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET from the Toyota Center. We'll have NBA odds available at BookMaker.eu for this and every game on tonight’s NBA slate.
NBA Betting Lines at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Los Angeles has been a solid investment for NBA bettors this season in attaining a 37-30-1 record against the closing NBA odds. That however hasn’t been the case for a number of weeks now with the team managing just three pointspread covers in its last 10 played games. On top of that, the Clippers haven’t been as kind to their wagering supporters on the road 16-15-1 ATS as they have been at home 21-15 ATS. As for Houston, the season can’t end soon enough. Not only is the team’s 16-53 SU record the worst in the league, so too is its 25-44 ATS record! Four of its eight total home wins occurred when catching points in front of its homebased cardboard cutouts.
Los Angeles Clippers
LA bounced back nicely its most recent time out in Toronto where Kawhi Leonard led the team in scoring with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The win was sorely needed after being taken to task by Julius Randle and the New York Knicks the game prior. The 115-96 win and cover as 13.5-point favorites earned the Clippers their 19th road win of the season and moved them a game over .500 ATS when in the visitor’s role. The 96 points allowed marked just the third team since the middle of April that the defense prevented an opponent from reaching the century mark. It did so by limiting the Dinos to a 41 percent showing from the field while also forcing 13 turnovers. Ivica Zubic also led Los Angles to a commanding 49-35 advantage on the glass.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets losing streak increased to six straight in Portland where Damian Lillard dropped 34 points and led the Trail Blazers to the high-scoring 140-129 victory. Per usual, Houston’s defense was absent with it allowing the Blazers to convert 51 percent of its shots from the field and a laughable 18 of 40 shots from beyond the arc. Even so, the offense put forth an efficient attack of its own with Kelly Olynyk and D.J. Augustin each going off for 21 points while four other players also registered double-digits in scoring. The end result was an 11 point defeat that saw the Rockets cover the closing 14.5-point spread. The ATS triumph was their third straight! The over also cashed in for the fifth straight time after 269 points dented the scoreboard.
Los Angeles vs. Houston Prediction
These teams have run up against each other twice this season. Los Angeles came out the victor in both matchups, but only managed to split against the spread. Their last visit to the Toyota Center saw LA score the hard fought 109-104 victory but the five point margin of victory fell short of covering the closing 9-point spread. The combined 213 points fell under the 223.5 closing total moving the O/U to 1-1 for the season as well. Christian Wood played a large role in the Rockets being competitive throughout, but he’s currently listed as questionable to partake in the Rockets’ home finale due to quad and ankle tightness that forced him to miss the previous four games. Should he give it a go in this one, I’d be willing to take the points with the home team; especially if LA ultimately ends up resting its PTPers like Leonard and/or Paul George.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
