LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to play Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. Action starts at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 13 and can be seen on ABC.
The Clippers come into this game on a high note after topping the Knicks 101-94 on Friday. Chris Paul played a pivotal role, recording his 31st double-double this season with 24 points and 15 assists. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 120-108 win over the Lakers on Thursday. Kyrie Irving was the team’s top scorer, posting 26 points on 11-for-20 shooting.
Over the last five games, DeAndre Jordan has taken his game to another level for the Clippers. During that stretch, he has averaged 17.6 points, 15.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 3.0 blocks. Irving has been on fire for the Cavaliers. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 24.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.8 three-pointers.
Second-chance points might be scarce for Los Angeles in this matchup. They rank 26th in the NBA in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 20.5%), while the Cavaliers are fourth-best in the league on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 78.8%). Also, the sweet-shooting offense of the Cavaliers ranks fifth in effective field goal percentage at 52.0%, while the Clippers are fourth-best in the league at forcing opponents’ misses (48.1%).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the first matchup 115-102. In the loss, Paul led all scorers on the team with 30 points.
The Clippers enter the game with records of 42-22 Straight Up (SU) and 31-31-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 42-22 SU and 31-31-2 ATS against the Eastern Conference. Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Los Angeles, which ranks fourth at 1.80.
Across the court, the Cavaliers have 46-18 SU and 29-33-2 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Cleveland is 46-18 SU and 29-33-2 ATS.
Cleveland won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Clippers to 7-3 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Additionally, the Cavaliers lead the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
Cleveland’s offense and Los Angeles’ defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Cleveland puts up an average of 0.0 points per game, while Los Angeles gives up 0.0 points per game.
Cleveland and Los Angeles are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Cleveland puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Los Angeles gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have an exceptional 25-8 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Los Angeles Clippers are 7-10 when they score less than 100.
When the Cavaliers give up at least 100 points to their opponent, they are 21-10. When the Clippers hit the century mark, they also have a winning record (35-12).
The Cavaliers have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (108.4). The Clippers are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 101.2 (ranked seventh).
Los Angeles has an average field goal percentage of 46.2%, seventh-ranked in the NBA. Cleveland is a winning 18-10 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Los Angeles attempts 26.0 three pointers and Cleveland attempts 28.0 per game. Both teams have winning records when they have 25 or more three point attempts. The Clippers sit at 24-15 and the Cavaliers are 31-15.
Los Angeles ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.80 (ranked fourth). Cleveland is ranked eighth, with an A/TO of 1.74.
The Clippers rank 21st in rebounds per game with 42.7, while the Cavaliers rank eighth with 44.8 per game.
Los Angeles is ranked 13th in defensive rebounds, while Cleveland ranks 10th in offensive rebounds.
Though Los Angeles is one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.0% (ranked ninth), Cleveland has a solid 13-8 record SU when its TOV% is 15.0% or greater.
