The Los Angeles Clippers will travel to the Toyota Center to challenge the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Action begins at 9:30 pm ET on Tuesday, May 12 and can be seen on TNT.
The Rockets are hoping for a better outcome after their 124-99 loss to the Clippers on Friday. Despite the loss, James Harden earned his 21st double-double this season with 25 points and 11 assists. J.J. Redick was the game’s top scorer, accounting for 31 points on 11-for-14 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 currently not available. The Rockets come into this game 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.
Over on the other bench, 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.
With the Clippers’ last win against Houston, their SU record is now 7-3 over the Rockets in the last 10 meetings. With an 8-2 record, the Clippers also have the advantage ATS. In these last 10 matchups, Los Angeles held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times, with Houston controlling all three of these areas one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, ATS Winner – HOU
Notes
Houston is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games,.
Houston 15-6-1 SU in its last 22 games.
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Houston’s last 12 games at home.
Houston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home.
Houston is 4-13-1 SU in their last 18 games, when playing LA Clippers.
Houston is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers.
Houston’s offense and Los Angeles’ defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Houston scores 0.0 points per game (ranked zeroth). Los Angeles gives up 0.0 points per game, which is also ranked zeroth.
Houston and Los Angeles are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Houston scores an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Los Angeles gives up 0.0 points per away game on average.
The Los Angeles Clippers won their last game by 25 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Houston Rockets are 6-4. Los Angeles is 18-2 in blowouts this season.
Los Angeles has a stellar 34-4 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. Houston is 12-14 when it puts up under 100.
When Los Angeles allows 100 or more points in a game, the team is an even 22-22 this season. Houston, on the other hand, has an outstanding record (44-12) when it hits the century mark.
The Clippers have the top-ranked offense this season, averaging 109.5 points per 100 possessions. The Rockets have one of the best defenses, allowing 100.5 points in the same number of possessions (ranked sixth).
The Los Angeles Clippers have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking second in the league with a FG% of 47.3%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Houston Rockets have an underachieving 5-18 record.
The Houston Rockets rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (seventh) than they do for their field goal percentage (20th). The Los Angeles Clippers rank second for both their FG% and EFF%.
The Los Angeles Clippers, ranked third in the NBA, average 24.8 assists per game. The Houston Rockets make 22.2 assists (ranked ninth).
Houston makes an average of 5.0 blocks per game (ranked 10th). Los Angeles ranks higher in blocks with 5.0 (ranked ninth).
The Houston Rockets rank seventh in offensive rebounding, while the Los Angeles Clippers rank 10th in defensive rebounding.
The Rockets record 9.5 steals per game on average (ranked third). The Clippers are 11-8 when allowing at least 9 steals.
