The Los Angeles Clippers couldn’t do it at home and are left with a tough job to snap their six-game losing streak in Cleveland. The Cavs haven’t made a stronghold of their arena, losing to lesser teams, but are finally finding some good results. Meanwhile, the Clippers easily lose composure, and the things can turn from bad to worse if the veteran Cavs team smells fear.
Clippers at Cavaliers
Spread: Cleveland -6.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 223 points (-110)
Shorthanded Clippers can’t put together a decent 48 minutes, lose again
The L.A. Clippers are 5-8, good for only the twelfth place in the conference. Remember, this was the last undefeated team in the league. Nowadays, the losing has returned to be a new standard for this franchise, and the players are frustrated with it. They are also frustrated with each other, have no leadership on or off the court. The six-game losing streak will reveal all the dirt under the surface, and the Clippers badly need some positive change.
The Clippers’ frustration was difficult to ignore after they rallied from a 14-point deficit in the first half, but couldn’t hold a six-point advantage in the closing minutes of a 109-105 home loss to Philadelphia. The Clippers just didn’t seem to have it early. They weren’t moving the ball around, and they were settling for too many jumpers. The Clippers were down 11 in the first as Simmons was practicing dunks and Embiid his three-pointers. Things looked just as bad, if not worse, in the second quarter. The Clippers found themselves down 14, and couldn’t buy a basket. Griffin finally started hitting some shots, forcing things like in some previous games, and it worked for a while. However, their momentum and their confidence faded again when it mattered most and the game was on the line. Hit by some injuries to their starters in the backcourt, the Clippers gave full powers to Lou Williams and the veteran scorer responded for the second time in a row, leading the team with 31 points, 15 of which came at crucial times in the fourth. However, the Clippers couldn’t handle Embiid and Covington, and were hit by a dagger from their former teammate Redick with a minute to go. It was a defensive coverage breakdown that left Redick open, a microcosm of lack of communication within this team.
Patrick Beverley (knee), Danilo Gallinari (glute) and Milos Teodosic (foot) were sidelined by injuries. Beverley missed his third game, Gallinari his fourth and Teodosic his 11th. All three will miss the start of a five-game trip in Cleveland.
Place: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Date/Time: Friday, November 17th, 2017. 7:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: FS Ohio, FSPT
Season-high third straight win for the Cavaliers
The most common James’ prey fell. The Cavaliers enjoyed historic dominance of their leader and the best player over the Charlotte Hornets to extend their minor win streak with a 115-107 decider. It was the 44th time out of fifty games that James beat the Hornets, so that’s one that was expected. Except, nothing is going according to plan this season for the Cavs. It may be a sign of better days ahead, but their game still isn’t on their level from the previous seasons, so there’s a lot of work to be done.
Whether they’ve fixed it or there’s some luck involved, the Cavaliers finally didn’t get beat from beyond the arc, nor on the glass. Ever since Shumpert was inserted in the starting lineup, the effort has increased, and it was probably the decisive factor in this game. Cleveland trailed 67-61 at halftime but outscored Charlotte 27-17 in the third quarter and then pushed the lead to as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter. They didn’t do it by better shooting – they connected on just 43.3 percent of their shots, while the Charlotte Hornets finished at 47.7 percent – instead, they’ve ran out to contest three-point shots and worked diligently on the offensive boards. James was the core of their success as always, battling foul trouble to score 31 points and dish out 8 assists. Love double-doubled with 22 points and 10 rebounds, but was also the only Cavalier to finish the game with a negative +/-. Cavaliers’ thirteen threes and great free throw accuracy were very important as well. Yes, James scored or assisted on 12 of the team’s final 20 points after checking back into the game. He had the steal and breakaway dunk that appeared to be the dagger. But the comeback wouldn’t have been possible without the second unit – Korver, Wade, Green, and Frye have found their roles. The bad news is that the rotation is a fluid thing with Cavs as their coach rarely controls things on the court.
Rose and Tristan Thompson remain on the injury list, although Rose might return soon. The Cavaliers don’t play again until Monday when they take off for Detroit, so they’ll probably play him after the weekend.
Los Angeles Clippers at Cleveland Cavaliers Game Trends & Prediction
The Clippers strong start really paid off for those who believed that Chris Paul’s departure won’t ruin all chances for winning for the Clippers, but once the problems hit, they left a big mark on the money return as well. The Clippers are now only 5-8 against the spread, and things could go worse as they hit the road. They only played five road games so far, and one of those was to the Lakers. They are also 5-8 on the total points market, 2-3 as the visiting team.
Cleveland improved to 5-9 against the spread, but their issues were never that big on the road, but at home, where they still haven’t covered after seven games. On the other side, they’ve come close most recently, managing a push against Milwaukee, and three ATS wins in the last four games suggest small improvement. As for the totals, the Cavs are clear an over team. They’ve gone 9-6 so far this season, despite facing lines in high 210s or even 220s. However, they managed to hold their three last opponents below 110 points, a minor success for one of the worst defenses in the league.
Admi-Rank: This rating is the highest point for the Cavaliers in three weeks, a fact that speaks for itself. They are finally trending up, but the improvement has been very slow. The Clippers are on the low part of the curve, heading quickly towards irrelevancy. They could find new lows soon enough.
Two teams ranks are very near, but this is a game where you have to give more substance to the trend, and it’s a tale of two sides really. Sure, the injuries played a part in Clippers demise, but it’s one of the, but not the main reason for it. This leads me to believe that they’re going to continue to sink, at least until they get their injured starters back, but possibly further.
Cleveland has been set as a 6.5-point favorite, and the total points line has opened at 223. You’ve seen it coming from the preview, but let’s say it loudly. Yes, I’m going to go with the Cavaliers here. If you didn’t believe me that I hold no negative bias against this team, you now can. The value is all that matters and I’m not allergic to winning bets no matter which side I pick. The correct number here is -8, so go with the home side. Further, I’m also going to go with the under. The Clippers have had a tough time producing points by ball movement, and have little threat from outside. The Cavs effort to minimize damage on defense has given subtle but positive results, so the points will be kept below the high line.
My Pick: Cleveland -6.5 (-110)
Total: Under 223 points (-110)
