The Heat are traveling to L.A. in the second straight road game following a narrow defeat in Denver, while the Clippers are looking to bounce back after a loss to Memphis. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Heat at Clippers
Spread: -5.5 Los Angeles Clippers (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 207.5 (-110)
The Heat are looking for the second win in six matches
The Miami Heat began their Western road trip with the game in Denver, but Paul Millsap’s free-throws some ten seconds before the end prevented them from securing a victory, so they fell short, 94:95. Miami lost both away matches so far in the season, and they are without a win against the Clippers at Staples Center in the previous three.
The Heat were decent from the field with 46.8%, and they hit 15 threes on 38 attempts (39.5%) but made only seven out of 11 free-throws (63.6%). Miami had 23 assists in opposite to Denver’s 17 but committed even 23 turnovers, six more than the hosts. Goran Dragic led Miami with season-high 23 points, seven assists, and two steals, while Dion Waiters scored 15 points. James Johnson recorded the first double-double of the season with 15 points and ten rebounds, along with two thefts, but he had to leave the game earlier due to six personal fouls. Hassan Whiteside contributed with 13 points, season-low three boards, and game-high two blocks. Tyler Johnson had a bad night as he hit just one out of eight shots, while Wayne Ellington was scoreless, but I expect them to bounce back against the Clippers and help the team in the offense. Dragic is surely the player to watch on Sunday, but the matchup between Whiteside and DeAndre Jordan should be quite entertaining as it will be interesting to see who will record more boards in the clash of the titans. The Heat must cut turnovers to around 15 if they want to win this game and I believe it will be the key to a victory.
Erik Spoelstra is delighted to have almost his entire team healthy and ready for this duel, only Rodney McGruder is sidelined and will not feature. The Heat are scoring 103.50 points per contest on average (22nd in the NBA), while they are allowing 105.12 points in return (14th in the NBA). They are among the top ten (9th) when it comes to field goal percentage (46.36%), while they are first in allowing only 66.67% from the free-throw line on the road.
Place: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Date/Time: Sunday, November 5th, 2017, 3:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: FOX SPORTS PRIME TICKET, FOX SPORTS SUN
The Clippers are hoping to bounce back after Saturday’s loss
The Los Angeles Clippers are playing the second of back-to-back home games and are looking to respond following a 104:113 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies. The visitors led for the most of the tilt and won all four quarters, so the Clippers recorded their third loss of the season, but they do have five victories thus far.
The Clippers weren’t bad from the field (46.3%), but they struggled from beyond the arc, hitting only four shots on 25 attempts (16%) and the poor outside shooting pretty much decided this clash. Patrick Beverley mad one out of eight from the perimeter, Danilo Gallinari missed all four attempts, while Lou Williams and Austin Rivers combined for mere two three-pointers. These are the best shooters on this team but they apparently had a bad night, so I am sure they will bounce back against Miami. Blake Griffin led the Clippers with a double-double of 30 points (10-17 FG, 1-3 3PT, 9-11) and 11 rebounds, along with game-high two steals, but committed five turnovers. Patrick Beverley followed Griffin with 23 points and seven boards, while Lou Williams added 13 points. DeAndre Jordan posted a double-double of 12 points and ten boards, along with three rejections, while Danilo Gallinari contributed with ten points, six assists, and four rebounds, but I believe Gallo will have a better shooting display against Miami on Sunday. The Italian is the man to watch in a favorable matchup with Dion Waiters who is not known as a particularly good defender, so Gallo should return to his usual self, while I expect Austin Rivers to recover after just seven points and 2-9 from the field in 38 minutes. Except for Hassan Whiteside, who is one of the best centers in the league, Miami has relatively weak frontcourt, so Blake Griffin should have a big game and could have another 30+ point match. In case Jordan is forced to sit on the bench with fouls, Griffin will move to the center position, while Gallinari will advance to the power forward. The Clippers could be a bit tired after Saturday’s game, and that is a slight chance for the visitors to end a three-game losing run against Doc Rivers’ team in L.A.
Doc Rivers cannot count on Milos Teodosic who is still out with a left foot injury and doesn’t have a timetable to return. The Serbian guard is in a walking boot and was working on a stationary bike, and it doesn’t seem he’ll return anytime soon, so I believe Teodosic to be sidelined until December. The Clippers are scoring 109.00 points per contest on average (7th in the NBA), while they are allowing 100.14 points in return (6th in the NBA). Los Angeles is among the best teams in the league (4th) when it comes to rebounding (47.86), and they are also good (7th) in three-point shooting (39.13%), so it is easy to conclude that miserable 16% from the perimeter against the Grizzlies doesn’t represent reality.
Miami Heat at Los Angeles Clippers Trends & Prediction
The Heat are 1-5-2 against the spread (1-1 away), while they are 4-4 on over/under (1-1 away), and considering these numbers, predicting Miami’s games is not easy at all. The Clippers have a solid defense, especially at home, but I think the Heat could score 100-105 points without problems so that I would opt for OVER on this one.
The Clippers are 5-3 against the spread (3-3 home), while they are 3-5 on over/under (3-3 home). They played on Saturday, so I think the Clippers will be a bit tired, so I don’t expect them to be rock solid in the defense, so it is an excellent opportunity to go with OVER. When it comes to spread, I decided to leave it as it could easily go either way.
My Pick: Pass
Total: Over 207.5 (-110)
