The San Antonio Spurs travel to the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
The Spurs have won back to back games and head to this contest after beating the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night. San Antonio is still four games below the .500 mark and they are currently fighting for a playoff spot at 10th in the Western Conference team standings. The Spurs are looking to even their season series against the LA Clippers.
Hot and Cold
The San Antonio Spurs have blown hot and cold as of late. After a three-game winning streak, the Spurs lost three consecutive games and then they bounced back with back to back assignments including Saturday night’s come from behind win over the Charlotte Hornets.
The Spurs rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat the Hornets 114-90. DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points to lead San Antonio in their last home game for three and ½ weeks. Jakob Poetl added 17 points and 7 boards in 18 minutes of action for the Spurs while LaMarcus Aldridge scored eight points in his return from a two-game absence due to a sprained right thumb.
San Antonio ranks 8th in the league in scoring at 113.6 points per game. They are tied for 10th place in rebounding at 45.8 board pulled down per contest and they are also 13th in passing at 24.6 dimes per contest. The Spurs are allowing an average of 113.9 points per game, 13th overall in the entire NBA.
Everybody Healthy
The Clippers have not lived up to their preseason hype because they have dealt with injuries in the early part of the season. Right now though, everybody’s healthy and the Clippers are starting to dominate. LA has won seven out of its last nine games played and they are coming off a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves last Saturday night.
Kawhi Leonard led the way with 31 points. The Klaw has topped 30 points in each of his last nine games played, the longest such streak in his career. Paul George added 21 points while playing just 26 minutes while Lou Williams added 17 points for Los Angeles. Montrezl Harrell also scored in double figures with 16 points while pulling down six rebounds.
The Clippers rank 5th in the league in scoring at 115.4 points per game. They are 2nd best rebounding team in the league at 48.2 boards hauled per contest and are 18th in passing at 23.5 assists per game. LA is allowing its opponents to score an average of 109.5 points per game, 3rd best in the NBA this season.
Who Wins?
San Antonio is 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played. The Spurs are 2-2 SU in their last four games played on the road. The LA Clippers are 7-2 SU in their last nine games played. The Clippers are 5-1 SU in their last six games played on the road. Head to head, the Clippers are 3-1 SU in their last four games played against the Spurs. Los Angeles is 6-2 SU in their last eight home games played against San Antonio.
The Spurs have played better as of late and have won back to back games over Utah and Charlotte. San Antonio needed to rally to beat the Hornets in their last outing. They have dropped three out of their last four assignments at Staples Center but have lost to the Clippers by an average of 5 points per game only.
The Clippers have a healthy lineup and in their last game against Minnesota, Doc Rivers had his entire roster healthy and at his disposal. Kawhi Leonard has scored at least 30 points in nine consecutive games and the Clippers have lost only two games during that period.
Kawhi Leonard is having a fantastic stretch and while he has been dealing with back issues, the 2019 NBA Finals MVP scored 31 points in his last outing. With a healthy lineup, the Clippers are one of the best teams in the league. LA certainly has more quality and they play better defense. I like the Clippers to pick up the win here.
Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers
Other Bets to Make
The Spurs are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games played. San Antonio is 3-1 ATS in their last four games played on the road. The Clippers are 6-3 ATS in their last nine games played. LA is 3-1 ATS in their last four games played at home, 5-1 ATS in their last six February games, and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played against the Western Conference. Head to head, the Spurs are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Clippers.
Spurs
+9 (-110)
Clippers
-9 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 02/03/20
Los Angeles has taken three out of their last four meetings at the Staples Center but only by an average of 5 points per game. However, this is a Clippers team that holds opponents to 43% shooting from the floor and 34% from behind the arc. The Spurs are a Top 10 scoring team but if they can be contained on offense, they are going to struggle. I like the Clippers to cover the spread in his home game.
Prediction: Clippers -9
The total has gone over in 28 out of the 48 games played by the Spurs this season. The over is 4-1 in the last five games of San Antonio against the West, and 4-1 in their last five games against the Pacific Division. The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by the Clippers. The under is 9-6 in LA’s last 15 games against the Western Conference, and 4-1 in the Clippers’ last five Monday games. Head to head, the over is 6-4 in the last 10 games played between these two teams.
Over
227.5 (-110)
Under
227.5 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 02/03/20
The Clippers are 5th in the league in scoring and they are up against a San Antonio team which is outside the Top 10 in defense. The Spurs are also in the Top 10 in scoring this season but they have put up fewer than 110 points in three out of their last five games played. LA has allowed 106 or fewer points in four out of their last five games played. With a full lineup ready for this game, I expect to see the kind of defense that is going to make this Clippers team dangerous in the playoffs.
Prediction: Over 227.5