The Los Angeles Clippers (15-10) will be at home when they play the Milwaukee Bucks (10-16). Action begins at 10:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Dec. 16 and can be seen on PRI.
The Clippers enter this game hoping for similar success after edging the Pistons 105-103 on Monday. Blake Griffin was the team’s leading scorer with 34 points on 15-for-30 shooting. The Bucks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their blowout 113-95 loss against the Lakers on Tuesday. Michael Carter-Williams led the team in scoring with 19 points.
Greg Monroe has been hot for the Bucks, averaging 18.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.0 steal over the past five games.
The physical Clippers offense might be getting to the charity stripe a lot in this one. They rank first in the league at getting to the line (free throw attempt rate of 34.9), while Milwaukee is among the NBA’s most foul-prone teams (giving up a 29th-ranked free throw attempt rate of 32.2).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Clippers winning the first matchup 109-95. J.J. Redick was the game’s top overall scorer with 31 points.
This one isn’t expected to be close when the Clippers, a substantial 10-point favorite, take on the Bucks. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 204 points for this matchup. While the Clippers have a good Straight Up (SU) record (15-10), they’ve been poor Against The Spread (ATS) with an 8-15-2 record. Although they have struggled to cover the spread against the East (2-5-1), they’ve won fairly consistently (5-3). The Clippers are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 19.0 per game. Los Angeles is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.74.
In the other locker room, the Bucks have a record of 12-13 ATS and 10-15 SU. Against the Western Conference, Milwaukee is 3-4 SU and 4-3 ATS. The Bucks average 101.6 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 94.5 points per game during that span. Milwaukee is the fourth-best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 19.0 per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Los Angeles beat Milwaukee, bumping its SU record to 8-2 over the Bucks in their last 10 meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC, ATS Winner – Mil, O/U – Under
Notes
LA Clippers are 1-4-2 ATS in their last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the LA Clippers last 6 games.
LA Clippers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games.
LA Clippers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games at home.
LA Clippers are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Clippers last 7 games at home.
LA Clippers are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing Milwaukee.
LA Clippers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee.
Los Angeles scores an average of 102.6 points per game (ranked ninth). Milwaukee ranks 18th in points allowed per game with 101.6.
Milwaukee ranks 28th in points allowed per road game (103.9 PPG), while Los Angeles ranks 16th in points per home game with 101.6.
The Milwaukee Bucks lost their last game by 18 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Los Angeles Clippers are 1-0. Milwaukee is 2-7 in blowouts this season.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Bucks are 9-4 on the season. When the Clippers score fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 1-5.
The Milwaukee Bucks have a subpar 1-12 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Los Angeles Clippers are 14-5 when they hit the century mark.
The Bucks have an offensive rating of 99.7 (ranked 26th), while the Clippers rank 14th for their defensive rating of 101.8.
Los Angeles has an average field goal percentage of 45.5% (ranked sixth). Milwaukee is an underachieving 1-11 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Los Angeles Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Los Angeles is 10th and sixth in the league for EFF% and FG% respectively, while Milwaukee ranks 18th and 11th in these categories.
On average, the Milwaukee Bucks make 23.2 assists per game and the Los Angeles Clippers make 22.8. Milwaukee is ranked sixth, while Los Angeles is ranked seventh.
The Los Angeles Clippers average 5.4 blocks per game for a rank of 11th. The Milwaukee Bucks rank lower (13th), earning 5.0 blocks each game.
Los Angeles is ranked 20th in offensive rebounding. Milwaukee ranks 30th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Los Angeles makes 7.1 steals per game. Milwaukee is a subpar 4-14 when it allows at least 7 steals.
