The Chicago Bulls will travel to the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Clippers. Action begins at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 31 and can be seen on ABC.
The Clippers enter this game hoping for similar success after edging the Pacers 91-89 in their last matchup. Chris Paul was the team’s leading scorer with 26 points on 11-for-21 shooting. The Bulls, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 89-84 loss against the Heat in their last game. Chicago still lost despite the best efforts of Pau Gasol, who recorded his 25th double-double of the season with 19 points and 17 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Paul has taken his game to another level for the Clippers, averaging 24.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 2.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 3.0 three-pointers.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, this will be a matchup of two heavyweights. Los Angeles’s upper-echelon offense is ranked fourth in the league in that metric at 51.8%, while Chicago is third-best in the NBA at making opponents miss (46.6%).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first matchup 83-80. In the victory, Gasol led all scorers on the team with 24 points.
The Clippers are a five-point favorite against Chicago and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 206 points. The Clippers come into this game 31-16 Straight Up (SU) and 22-23-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 14-5 SU and 11-7-1 ATS against the Eastern Conference. Los Angeles is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.83.
As for their opponent, the Bulls have a record of 18-27 ATS and 26-19 SU. Chicago has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. The Bulls have controlled the glass with an NBA-best 48.9 rebounds per game. One advantage for the Bulls could be Los Angeles’s high fouls per game average of 22.9.
Chicago beat Los Angeles in their most recent meeting this season, but the win was not enough to overtake Los Angeles in the most recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Clippers also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC, ATS Winner – LAC, O/U – Under
Notes
LA Clippers are 15-3 SU in their last 18 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of the LA Clippers last 16 games at home.
LA Clippers are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games at home.
LA Clippers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing Chicago.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 7 games when playing Chicago.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 6 games when playing at home against Chicago.
Los Angeles ranks seventh in points per game with 104.0, while Chicago ranks 12th in points allowed with an average of 100.5 given up.
On average, Los Angeles puts up 105.1 points per home game (ranked 10th). Chicago ranks 17th in points allowed per road game with 103.6.
The Los Angeles Clippers have a winning record (19-2) when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Chicago Bulls are 10-9 when they don’t hit triple digits.
The Los Angeles Clippers have a 10-14 record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Chicago Bulls have a 15-10 record when they register triple digits.
The Clippers have the fifth-best offensive rating in the NBA (106.5). The Bulls are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 101.0 (ranked seventh).
The Chicago Bulls average 100.0 possessions per game and 1.013 points per possession. The Los Angeles Clippers earn fewer possessions with 98.0, but they score more points with 1.065.
The Los Angeles Clippers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with an EFF% of 51.8%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Chicago Bulls have an abysmal 1-7 record.
On average, the Los Angeles Clippers make 23.1 assists per game and the Chicago Bulls make 21.6. Los Angeles is ranked eighth, while Chicago is ranked 16th.
With 6.1 blocks per game, the Chicago Bulls rank fifth in the league. The Los Angeles Clippers are in the top half of NBA teams for blocking, ranking 11th with 5.2 blocks per game.
The Chicago Bulls are the NBA’s best defensive rebounding team. The Los Angeles Clippers rank 26th in offensive rebounding.
Chicago makes an average of 6.1 steals per game. Los Angeles has a winning 22-13 record when it gives up at least 6 steals.
