The Brooklyn Nets will travel to the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Clippers. Action begins at 10:30 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 29 and will air on PRI and YES.
The Clippers defeated the Kings 117-107 on Friday. Chris Paul was a key piece, recording his 26th double-double of the season with 40 points and 13 assists. The Nets, meanwhile, are coming off a 98-96 win against the Jazz on Saturday. Thaddeus Young led the team in scoring with 21 points on 10-for-16 shooting.
Paul has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Clippers. During that stretch, he has averaged 25.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.8 three-pointers.
When evaluating effective field goal percentage, the Clippers could have a healthy advantage on offense. They’re ranked fourth in the league in that category at 52.0%, while Brooklyn’s poor effective field goal percentage defense is ranked 29th, allowing opponents to connect at a rate of 52.3% this year.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Clippers won the first game 105-100. Paul finished with 15 points and 14 assists.
The Clippers are looking to build on their records of 38-20 Straight Up (SU) and 29-27-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 38-20 SU and 29-27-2 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Clippers are an impressive shooting team with a .462 field-goal percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Los Angeles, which ranks fourth at 1.78.
On the other side, the Nets head into the game with records of 30-28-1 ATS and 17-42 SU. Against the Western Conference, Brooklyn is 17-42 SU and 30-28-1 ATS. Offensively, the Nets have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 97.0 points per game by averaging 108.0 during that stretch. One advantage for the Nets could be Los Angeles’s high fouls per game average of 22.7.
Los Angeles beat Brooklyn in their most recent meeting this season, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over the last 10 games. However, the Nets hold the advantage ATS with a record of 8-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC
Notes
On average, Brooklyn puts up 97.0 points per game (ranked 28th), while Los Angeles allows 100.3 points per game (ranked ninth).
Brooklyn ranks 26th in points per away game with 96.8 points, while Los Angeles ranks ninth in points allowed at home with 98.9.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Los Angeles Clippers are a formidable 27-3. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Brooklyn Nets have a subpar record of 4-31.
Los Angeles is a losing 11-17 when it gives up 100 or more points. Brooklyn has a 13-11 record when it hits the century mark.
The Nets have a defensive rating of 106.9 (ranked 25th). The Clippers rank sixth for their offensive rating of 106.8.
On average, Los Angeles has 98.3 possessions per game and scores 1.068 points on each possession. Brooklyn has both fewer possessions (96.7) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.003).
Los Angeles is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 52.0% (ranked fourth in the NBA). Brooklyn is an abysmal 3-24 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Los Angeles attempts 26.0 three pointers and Brooklyn attempts 17.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Clippers have a winning 21-13 record while the Nets are even at 1-1.
The Los Angeles Clippers, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.78, rank fourth in the NBA. The Brooklyn Nets have a lower A/TO (1.49), ranking 23rd.
The Clippers rank 21st in rebounds per game with 42.8, while the Nets rank 20th with 42.8 per game.
Los Angeles is ranked 15th in defensive rebounds, while Brooklyn ranks 17th in offensive rebounds.
Los Angeles is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 14.9% (ranked eighth). Brooklyn has a subpar record of 10-19 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 14.9% or greater.
