The Houston Rockets will travel to the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Action begins at 8:30 pm ET on Sunday, May 10 and can be seen on TNT.
The Clippers are expecting a better outcome after their 115-109 loss to the Rockets on Wednesday. Despite the loss, Blake Griffin earned his 18th double-double this season with 34 points and 15 rebounds. Dwight Howard claimed his 23rd double-double of the season with 24 points and 16 rebounds.
Based on historical performance heading into this one, ball security could play a key role in the matchup. Los Angeles commits the second-fewest miscues in the NBA (turnover percentage of 12.1%), while Houston’s pesky defense causes the fifth-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 15.5%). Also, the offense of the Rockets seems ready to earn plenty of trips to the line. They rank second in the NBA in free throw attempt rate (31.2), while the Clippers are among the league’s most foul-happy teams (allowing a 29th-ranked mark of 31.2).
The odds for Los Angeles and Houston are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Clippers come into this game 56-26 Straight Up (SU) and 38-44 Against The Spread (ATS). While they boast a record of 20-6 against Western Conference opponents at home, they have struggled to beat the spread in those same games, going 10-16. Los Angeles is the most disciplined team in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.10.
Over on the other bench, the Rockets have a record of 48-34 ATS and 56-26 SU. Against the Western Conference, Houston is 33-19 SU and 30-22 ATS. The Rockets rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, leading the league with 933 made (11.4 per game). Houston is the fourth-best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 18.9 per game.
With the Rockets’ last win against Los Angeles, Houston moved closer to evening up its record against Los Angeles. It now stands at 3-7 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Clippers also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2. 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 once.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, ATS Winner – HOU
Notes
Both Houston and Los Angeles rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Houston puts up 0.0 points per game, while Los Angeles gives up 0.0.
Houston and Los Angeles are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Houston scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Los Angeles allows 0.0 points at home on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets are a superb 35-4. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Los Angeles Clippers have a losing record of 8-14.
When the Houston Rockets allow at least 100 points they are 21-22, while the Los Angeles Clippers are 48-12 when they reach the century mark.
The Clippers have a defensive rating of 102.7 (ranked 16th), while the Rockets rank 12th for their offensive rating of 104.0.
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 a subpar 5-18 record.
The Houston Rockets rank lower for their field goal percentage (20th) than their effective field goal percentage (seventh), while the Los Angeles Clippers rank the same for both metrics (second).
Los Angeles ranks near the top of the league in assists at third (24.8 assists per game). Houston is ranked ninth, with 22.2 assists per game.
Los Angeles makes an average of 5.0 blocks per game (ranked ninth), while Houston makes 5.0 blocks per game (ranked 10th).
The Los Angeles Clippers rank 28th in offensive rebounding, while the Houston Rockets rank 18th in defensive rebounding.
The Houston Rockets earn an average of 9.5 steals per game and are ranked third. The Los Angeles Clippers have an 11-8 record when they allow at least 9 steals.
