The Los Angeles Clippers will travel to the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets. Action begins at 9:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 16 and can be seen on ESP, PRI and RSW.
The Rockets enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out the Grizzlies 130-81 on Monday. James Harden was a key piece with 15 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. The Clippers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their blowout 108-87 loss against the Spurs on Tuesday. Chris Paul had a game-high 22 points.
Dwight Howard has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Rockets. During that stretch, he has averaged 15.4 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.0 blocks. DeAndre Jordan has upped his play for the Clippers. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 15.6 points, 14.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.2 blocks.
Ball control could weigh heavily in this showdown. Los Angeles commits the third-fewest errors in the league (turnover percentage of 12.8%), while Houston’s disruptive defense forces the third-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 15.9%).
The Rockets lead the season series against the Clippers two games to one, but fell short in their most recent game, 140-132. Howard put up 36 points and 26 rebounds.
The Rockets come into this game 34-33 Straight Up (SU) and 29-37-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 3-7 ATS. The Rockets are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 21.0 per game. Houston is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.9 points per game.
As for their opponent, the Clippers have 42-24 SU and 31-33-2 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Los Angeles is 42-24 SU and 31-33-2 ATS. The Clippers are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fourth in the NBA at 1.80. Moving on to Los Angeles’s defense, the Clippers have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the league at .437.
In their previous meeting this season, Los Angeles beat Houston, but the win was not enough to overtake Houston in the most recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the last 10 meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC
Notes
“Houston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games “.
“Houston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Houston is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 10 of Houston’s last 15 games at home”.
“Houston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing LA Clippers”.
“Houston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing LA Clippers”.
“The total has gone OVER in 8 of Houston’s last 10 games when playing LA Clippers”.
“Houston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers”.
“Houston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers”.
Houston’s offense and Los Angeles’ defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Houston scores 0.0 points per game (ranked zeroth). Los Angeles gives up 0.0 points per game, which is also ranked zeroth.
Houston and Los Angeles are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Houston puts up an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Los Angeles gives up 0.0 points per away game on average.
The Houston Rockets won their last game by 49 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Los Angeles Clippers are 7-3. Houston is 3-5 in blowouts this season.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Los Angeles Clippers are a superb 31-3. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets have an underachieving record of 2-14.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Clippers are just 11-21 this season. Houston is a solid 32-19 when registering triple digits.
The Rockets have a defensive rating of 106.5 (ranked 23rd), while the Clippers rank sixth for their offensive rating of 106.5.
Los Angeles has an average field goal percentage of 46.1% (ranked seventh). Houston is a losing 12-24 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
Houston attempts an average of 31.0 three pointers per game, and Los Angeles attempts 26.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Rockets are even at 29-29 while the Clippers have a 24-16 record.
The Los Angeles Clippers rank fourth with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.80, while the Houston Rockets rank near the bottom of the league at 26th with an A/TO of 1.41.
The Houston Rockets rebound 42.8 times per game and are ranked 21st. Ranked 23rd, the Los Angeles Clippers rebound 42.3 times per game.
The Rockets and the Clippers are well matched when it comes to rebounding. Houston is ranked 27th in defensive rebounding, and Los Angeles is also ranked 27th in offensive rebounding.
Houston is among the best in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.9% (ranked third). Los Angeles has a 5-4 record SU when its TOV% reaches 15.9% or greater.
