The Houston Rockets are in the driver’s seat to finish with the best record in the NBA, sitting two games ahead of the Warriors coming down the stretch. Earning home court advantage throughout the playoffs would be critical, especially in the much-anticipated Western Conference Finals showdown with Golden State, and picking up a home win next time out over the Los Angeles Clippers would be another step in finishing it off.
The Clippers are in a frenzied race for one of the final spots in the Western Conference playoffs, and would love to pull the upset in this matchup. However, it’s going to be extremely tough as the Rockets have been dominant this season and will undoubtedly enter as sizable favorites to take care of business in NBA basketball spreads.
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Odds Analysis
The Clippers are 36-29 straight up and also 36-29 against the spread. Los Angeles has done a nice job on the road this season, covering in 20 of 31 attempts. The Clippers are 16-15 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
The Rockets are 53-14 straight up and 36-30-1 against the spread. Houston has gone 13-18-1 against the spread at home. The Rockets are 34-27-1 against the spread as the favorite.
Key Stat
65.5. That’s the field goal percentage for Houston big man Clint Capela this season, which currently leads the NBA. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan has been the most efficient shooter from the field in the league for the past several years, but Capela is poised to take his crown.
The emergence of Capela has been a big key in Houston’s push to chief contender to the Warriors’ crown. He is averaging 14.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
Everyone knows James Harden is the star of the Rockets, and the addition of star point guard Chris Paul has been huge. But the supporting cast has been nearly as important, and Capela is one of those players stepping up in a huge way. He only averages 9.2 field goal attempts as Harden is the volume shooter on the team, but Capela has made the most of his opportunity.
He will look to be a key cog in this game once again.
Previous Meeting
The Clippers actually won the first two games between these teams and would claim the season series with another win. However, it seems like the most recent matchup is more indicative of what is going to happen.
The Rockets jumped out to a 22-point lead after only the first quarter and cruised easily to the victory. Harden led the way with 25 points and seven assists while Capela added 22 points and 14 rebounds. The Clippers got 24 points form Tobias Harris but never seriously threatened.
Lou Williams shot poorly from the field in this game. He needs to have a much better performance in order for the Clippers to stay close
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Rockets are running roughshod through opponents and this game will be no exception. The Clippers are not going to have an answer for Harden as look for him to put up at least 30 points in this contest. The Rockets are going to be substantial favorites and it could get hairy toward the end if the backups start giving away some points.
A backdoor cover is possible for the Clippers because of that. In order to avoid fretting about baskets in garbage time, consider taking the Rockets to cover in NCAA basketball first half odds. They should grab control of this game by halftime.
NBA Odds: Rockets 117, Clippers 105
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