Clippers vs. Thunder Betting Line
Carrie Stroup here with your Clippers vs. Thunder betting line courtesy of Sportsbook.ag.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (41-23) at OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (35-28)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Oklahoma City -6.5, Total: 211
The Thunder look to continue climbing up the Western Conference standings with a home victory over the Clippers Wednesday.
The Clippers hosted the Timberwolves on Monday and came away with an 89-76 victory as 8-point home favorites. The win prevented a third straight loss for the Clippers and that is huge, as the playoff picture can change a lot with every loss in the highly competitive Western Conference.
OKC beat the Raptors 108-104 as 7-point home favorites on Sunday. Oklahoma City has now won three of its past four games SU, but the team has lost ATS in three straight contests. This Thunder offense has been on fire as of late, hitting triple digits in scoring in 16 straight games. They’ve also won 10 of their past 13 contests SU, covering in nine of those games as well.
These two teams have met twice this season with both teams winning SU on their home court, but the Thunder have covered in both games. Over the past three seasons, Oklahoma City is 5-2 SU and 4-3 ATS when hosting Los Angeles. The Thunder are also 10-5 SU and 11-4 ATS overall against the Clippers over the past three seasons.
Los Angeles is 61-38 ATS in road games after allowing 85 points or less in its previous game since 1996. Oklahoma City, however, is 10-2 ATS after a game outrebounding an opponent by 15 or more this season. PF Blake Griffin (Elbow) and SG Jamal Crawford (Calf) are out for the Clippers and SF Kevin Durant (Foot) is expected to return within the next week but will not play in this game for Oklahoma City.
The Clippers picked up a win over Minnesota on Monday and PG Chris Paul (18.2 PPG, 10.2 APG, 4.8 RPG, 1.8 SPG) put on a tremendous passing display. In 30 minutes of action, Paul dished out 15 assists. While the All-Star only put up two points in that game, he is still averaging 21.2 PPG, 12.8 APG, 4.8 RPG and 1.4 SPG over the past five contests. He’ll need to be more aggressive shooting the ball against the Thunder, as he must hold his own against Russell Westbrook. Paul is averaging 20.0 PPG, 10.0 APG, 5.0 RPG and 3.0 SPG in two games against Oklahoma City this season.
C DeAndre Jordan (11.2 PPG, 14.5 RPG, 2.2 BPG, 1.0 SPG) will also really need to be at his best in this game. Jordan is averaging just 8.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG in two games against the Thunder this season and he must be better on Wednesday. Over the past five games, he’s putting up 10.6 PPG and a ridiculous 18.8 RPG in 39.0 MPG. He will need to control the glass and also do a very good job of protecting the rim in order to earn the upset win.
SG J.J. Redick (15.1 PPG) had 26 points and five rebounds in the win over the Timberwolves. Redick is averaging 23.3 PPG over his past three games and is one of the best shooters in the NBA (43% 3PT). He’ll need to find his stroke against a team that he struggled against earlier in the season, finishing with just five points in 30 minutes in his lone meeting with the team.
One guy who can be an x-factor for this team is SG Austin Rivers (7.1 PPG, 2.2 APG, 2.0 RPG). Rivers has played very well as of late, averaging 17.5 PPG, 4.0 APG and 2.0 SPG in 36.5 MPG over the past two contests. He really knows how to get to the basket and will just need to finish on Wednesday.
The Thunder have been hot lately and that has everything to do with the absurd play of PG Russell Westbrook (27.4 PPG, 8.3 APG, 7.1 RPG, 2.1 SPG). Over the past five games, Westbrook is averaging 40.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 11.3 APG and 2.5 SPG. He nearly averaged a triple-double in the month of February (31.2 PPG, 10.3 APG, 9.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG) and would likely be the leading candidate to win MVP if he did not get hurt earlier in the year. Westbrook can beat most teams in a number of ways, but he has struggled against the Clippers this season. He got hurt in the first meeting between these teams and had just 19 points and five assists the last time they met. He’ll need to be a lot more aggressive in this game, as the team has needed him to score at least 25 points lately.
C Enes Kanter (13.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG) has also been a good source of offense for this Thunder team. Kanter had 21 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes of action against the Raptors on Sunday. He’ll need to find a way to be effective against DeAndre Jordan in this game or Oklahoma City won’t have much of a chance of winning this game at home.
PF Serge Ibaka (14.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.5 BPG) will also have to produce on offense in this game. He’s been on fire for the Thunder, averaging 23.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 4.0 BPG over the past two games. If he can play that well on both ends of the floor then it will come a long way in determining who wins this one.
SG Dion Waiters (10.8 PPG, 1.2 SPG) has averaged just 6.5 PPG over the past two games. The Thunder need him to be more aggressive and he also must knock down his open threes as he’s shot a miserable 14% from there over the past five games.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com
