Clippers vs Mavs NBA Handicapping
A dozen games left and here’s what the Los Angeles Clippers have:
1. No worse than a 4 seed in the Western Conference playoffs (division winners can’t be seeded lower than 4th, and the Clippers have an 8-game lead in the Pacific.
2. Home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Los Angeles Clippers (48-22) at Dallas Mavericks (34-36)
Tuesday, March 26
American Airlines Center, Dallas
9:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Clippers -1 Bookmaker
Total – 202
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Neither of which means squat if the Clippers don’t get healthy over the final few weeks of the season.
No one cares about your problems in the NBA, and the Clippers have their share of problems as they take the court tonight in Dallas in the first of their final 12 games on the schedule.
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Chauncey Billups, Eric Bledsoe, Ronny Turiaf and Jamal Crawford are all banged up to various degrees, which has wreaked havoc with Vinny Del Negro’s rotation.
“I hear a lot of talk out there about rotations,” said Del Negro a few days ago. “One, we can’t do it because we’ve had so many injuries. Two, it’s hard for us to do because guys are in and out of the lineup and three, guys have minute restrictions.
So people talk about rotations, of course we’d like to get a rotation but it doesn’t work like that. So everybody out there talking about it needs to do a little research and understand it doesn’t work like that.” [ad-6571516]
OK, I guess a rotation is out of the question – at least until the Clips get close to full strength again.
Tonight’s game is the start of a nasty 4-game-in-5-nights stretch for LA. The Clippers play tomorrow night in New Orleans, then have a taxing Friday-Saturday forced march in south Texas at San Antonio and at Houston. Del Negro won’t admit it, but he’d gladly take two of four and move on to the final 8 games, which are much more manageable.
LA won’t be handed this one on a platter. The Mavericks have come out of nowhere, have won 8 of their last 11 and find themselves smack dab in the middle of a 4-way scrum (with the Lakers, Jazz and Trail Blazers) for the final playoff spot in the West. Tonight’s game is No. 4 on a 6-game homestand and part of a stretch in which the Mavs will have played 10 straight opponents who are .500 or better.
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All signs point to Dallas in this one. The Mavs need it more, they’re healthier and they get a point at home.
And Dirk Nowitzki has played only half a season after recovering from a leg injury.
Early money is backing the Clippers, but I like it the other way.
