The Los Angeles Clippers (41-22) face off against the visiting New York Knicks (27-39) at the Staples Center. Action begins at 10:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 11 and can be seen on NBA, PRI and MSG.
The Clippers fell to the Thunder 120-108 on Wednesday. Jeff Green was the team’s leading scorer, finishing with 23 points. The Knicks, meanwhile, are coming off a 128-97 win over the Suns on Wednesday. Sasha Vujacic stood out for New York, posting 23 points, five rebounds, and one steal.
DeAndre Jordan has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Clippers. During that stretch, he has averaged 17.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.0 blocks. Carmelo Anthony has also been on a tear in the same span, averaging 26.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 1.4 three-pointers while leading the Knicks.
The defense for Los Angeles should have a clear edge in terms of effective field goal percentage. They rank fifth in the league in forcing misses (opponents’ effective field goal percentage of 48.1%), while the offense of New York is 27th with a mark of 48.5%.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Clippers winning the first matchup 116-88. In the victory, Jordan led all scorers on the team with 20 points.
The Clippers enter the game with records of 41-22 Straight Up (SU) and 31-30-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 41-22 SU and 31-30-2 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Clippers, sporting the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.81), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. The Clippers have really locked down opponents, ranking fourth in the league with a .435 opponent field-goal percentage.
Across the court, the Knicks have a record of 35-30-1 ATS and 27-39 SU. In Western Conference games, New York has gone 27-39 SU and 35-30-1 ATS. The Knicks are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with an NBA-best .810 free throw percentage.
With the Clippers’ last win against New York, their SU record against the Knicks moves to 8-2 over the last 10 meetings. The Clippers also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC
Notes
Both New York and Los Angeles rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. New York puts up 0.0 points per game, while Los Angeles allows 0.0.
New York and Los Angeles are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. New York scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Los Angeles gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Clippers are 30-3 on the season. When the Knicks score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 5-31.
The Los Angeles Clippers have a subpar 11-19 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The New York Knicks are 22-8 when they hit triple digits.
The Knicks have a defensive rating of 105.5 (ranked 20th). The Clippers rank sixth for their offensive rating of 106.7.
On average, Los Angeles has 98.3 possessions per game and scores 1.067 points on each possession. New York has both fewer possessions (95.9) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.035).
Los Angeles is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 52.0% (ranked fourth in the NBA). New York is an abysmal 1-13 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Los Angeles Clippers make 22.7 assists per game and the New York Knicks make 20.2. Los Angeles is ranked 10th, while New York is ranked 26th.
The Los Angeles Clippers average 5.5 blocks per game for a rank of 10th. The New York Knicks rank higher (seventh), earning 5.7 blocks each contest.
The Los Angeles Clippers rank 26th in offensive rebounding, while the New York Knicks rank 12th in defensive rebounding.
The Los Angeles Clippers average 8.4 steals per game (ranked 10th). The New York Knicks have a poor record of 8-17 when they allow at least 8 steals.
