The Los Angeles Clippers will travel to the Toyota Center to face the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Action begins at 9:30 pm ET on Wednesday, May 6 and can be seen on TNT.
The Rockets enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Mavericks 103-94 in their last matchup. James Harden was the game’s leading scorer with 28 points on 9-for-19 shooting. Chris Paul led the team in scoring by accounting for 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting.
The physical Rockets offense might be getting to the charity stripe a lot in this one. They rank second in the league at getting to the line (free throw attempt rate of 31.2), while Los Angeles is among the NBA’s most foul-prone teams (giving up a 29th-ranked free throw attempt rate of 31.2). Also, the Clippers commit the second-fewest errors in the NBA (turnover percentage of 12.1%), while the disruptive defense of the Rockets causes the fifth-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 15.5%).
The odds for Houston and Los Angeles are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Rockets have gone 56-26 Straight Up (SU) and 48-34 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 33-19 SU and 30-22 ATS against the Western Conference. The Rockets lead the NBA in three-point field goals, making 933 from beyond the arc (11.4 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 a record of 38-44 ATS and 56-26 SU. Against the Western Conference, Los Angeles is 37-15 SU and 24-28 ATS. The Clippers are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, leading the NBA at 2.10.
In their previous meeting this season, Houston beat Los Angeles, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 7-3. Furthermore, the Clippers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Over the last 10 matchups, Los Angeles held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice. Houston performed this feat once.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, ATS Winner – HOU
Notes
Both Los Angeles and Houston rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Los Angeles puts up 0.0 points per game, while Houston gives up 0.0.
Los Angeles and Houston are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Los Angeles puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Houston gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets are a formidable 35-4. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Los Angeles Clippers have a poor record of 8-14.
Houston is 21-22 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Clippers have a superb 48-12 record when they hit the century mark.
The Clippers have a defensive rating of 102.7 (ranked 16th). The Rockets rank 12th for their offensive rating of 104.0.
Houston averages 100.0 possessions per game, scoring 1.040 points on each possession. While Los Angeles averages fewer possessions per game with 97.5, the team scores more points per possession with 1.095.
Los Angeles has an average effective field goal percentage of 53.3% (ranked second in the league}. Houston is a subpar 3-14 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Houston Rockets average 32.7 three point attempts per game, and the Los Angeles Clippers attempt 26.9 per game. When going for at least 25 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Houston is 53-24 and Los Angeles is 37-16.
Los Angeles ranks at the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.10. Houston ranks 27th with an A/TO of 1.39.
The Rockets rank 14th in rebounds per game with 43.7, while the Clippers rank 20th with 42.6 per game.
Houston is ranked 18th in defensive rebounds, while Los Angeles ranks 28th in offensive rebounds.
Houston ranks fifth in forced turnovers with an average rate of 15.5%. Los Angeles has a 4-6 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
