The Los Angeles Clippers head to San Antonio to take on the Spurs in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, pitting the first-ranked offense against the second-ranked defense. The game gets underway at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 26 and will air on ABC.
The Spurs were victorious over the Clippers 111-107 on Wednesday. With 28 points and 11 rebounds, Tim Duncan recorded his 33rd double-double this season. Blake Griffin put up one of the better games this year, recording a triple-double with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.
It will be a battle of strength versus strength, as the high-powered offense of the Clippers (first in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 109.5) takes the court against the stingy defense of the Spurs (second in the league with a defensive efficiency of 99.6).
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Spurs look to build on their records of 55-27 Straight Up (SU) and 41-39-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. San Antonio has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a superb .780. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of San Antonio’s offense. They are fifth in the league in assists with an average of 24.4 per game.
On the other side, the Clippers head into the game with records of 38-44 ATS and 56-26 SU. In Western Conference games, Los Angeles has gone 37-15 SU and 24-28 ATS. The Clippers are shooting very well so far with a .376 three-point field-goal percentage that ranks third in the NBA. The Clippers rarely make the wrong play with the ball. They have the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 2.10.
San Antonio won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Clippers to 6-4 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. At 5-5, they are even bets ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, San Antonio held the edge in all three of these categories three times in the last 10 meetings. Los Angeles did so twice.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC, ATS Winner – LAC
Notes
Los Angeles’ offense and San Antonio’s defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Los Angeles scores an average of 0.0 points per game, while San Antonio gives up 0.0 points per game.
Los Angeles and San Antonio are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Los Angeles scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while San Antonio allows 0.0 points at home on average.
The Los Angeles Clippers have a superb 34-4 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The San Antonio Spurs are 15-18 when they score less than 100.
Los Angeles is a split 22-22 in contests where it allows at least 100 points. San Antonio is an outstanding 40-9 when it hits triple digits.
The Clippers have the top-ranked offense this season, averaging 109.5 points per 100 possessions. The Spurs have one of the best defenses, allowing 99.6 points in the same number of possessions (ranked second).
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with a FG% of 46.8%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Los Angeles Clippers have a poor 10-16 record.
The San Antonio Spurs average 22.5 three point attempts per game, and the Los Angeles Clippers attempt 26.9 per game. When going for at least 25 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; San Antonio is 17-10 and Los Angeles is 37-16.
The Los Angeles Clippers top the league in assist to turnover ratio this season with an A/TO of 2.10. The San Antonio Spurs are also among the best (ranked fifth) with an A/TO of 1.81.
The San Antonio Spurs rebound 43.6 times per game and are ranked 15th. Ranked 20th, the Los Angeles Clippers rebound 42.6 times per game.
San Antonio is ranked eighth in defensive rebounds, while Los Angeles ranks 28th in offensive rebounds.
On average, the Spurs force a turnover rate of 13.9%. When the Clippers turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 15-9 record.
