LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (35-16) at MIAMI HEAT (32-14)
Miami is looking to avenge an early season loss to the Clippers when they take the floor at American Airlines Arena on Friday night.
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Miami -5.5 & 195
The Clippers defeated the Heat 107-100 in the Staples Center on Nov. 14, shooting 49% from the floor, 48% from three (10-for-21) and 84% from the foul line (27-of-32). Since then, a lot has happened. Both teams have risen to the top half of the standings in their respective conferences with the Heat in first in the Eastern Conference. Miami enters Friday on a three-game winning streak (1-2 ATS), topping Houston 114-108 on Wednesday. On the other hand, the Clippers had lost three straight (SU and ATS) before beating lowly Orlando on Wednesday. Los Angeles has been dealing with a lot of injuries lately, but they are expected to get back PG Chris Paul (knee) and SG Chauncey Billups (foot) against the Heat. PF Blake Griffin (hamstring) and SG Jamal Crawford (shoulder) were at practice on Thursday, and are listed as questionable. Los Angeles has the advantage in depth, but it is also going to be playing with pretty much a new team. They Clippers haven’t played with their full lineup in at least a month now, and that will take some getting used to. PF Chris Bosh will be returning for the Heat after being too ill to play against the Rockets, and his size and skillset will be tough for Clips C DeAndre Jordan to handle in the post. Miami star SF LeBron James is also far too big and too quick for Los Angeles SF Caron Butler to contain him. In the past two seasons, the Heat are 11-2 ATS (85%) at home versus teams making 6+ three-pointers per game in the second half of the season. And in the past three seasons, L.A. is 16-32 ATS (33%) on the road versus good ball-handling teams (14 TOPG or less).
The Clippers have been struggling now without Chris Paul running the point, going 3-6 (SU and ATS) in the past nine games without him. But now they get back their star point guard as well as Chauncey Billups (15.5 PPG in career), who has played just three games this season. But PG Eric Bledsoe will still be a key to this backcourt, coming off a career-high 27 points (19 after halftime) on Wednesday, and posting 22.3 PPG and 7.3 APG in his past three contests. He was also able to chip in six steals on the defensive end in Orlando. PF Blake Griffin could also be back in the lineup after missing two games. He most recently scored 20 points and added 11 rebounds in a loss against the Celtics last Sunday. SF Caron Butler has played well while the Clippers were banged up, averaging 14.2 PPG in his past five games, which is a lot higher than his season average of 10.0 PPG. PF Lamar Odom has proven to be a nice fit with the Clippers this season and recently has really helped them in an expanded role. Over the past five games, Odom is playing 24.0 MPG and averaging 4.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 2.0 SPG. He is doing a lot of the little things and playing aggressively on defense.
The Heat are riding a three-game winning streak, and they are now a much more dangerous team with SG Dwyane Wade back to playing like his superstar self. Over the past five games, Wade is averaging 22.4 PPG (48.3% FG), 6.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, 2.2 SPG and 1.4 BPG. He looks engaged on both ends and healthy for the first time all season. While Wade has found his game, SF LeBron James has continued to play his. James is shooting an insane 71% FG (34-for-48) during a three-game streak of 30+ points. In these three contests, he has 31.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 6.7 APG. He's also 11-for-21 from three-point range and swiping 1.7 SPG over the past six games. James has matured a lot even over the course of this season. He is a career 33.5% three-point shooter, but this season he’s making 40.8% from long range. Before falling ill, PF Chris Bosh put together two huge scoring games, averaging 25.5 PPG on 62% FG. But he needs to be more aggressive on the glass, grabbing just 3.8 RPG in 33.3 MPG over his past four contests.
