Blazers vs Clippers NBA Handicapping
Let’s see. There’s the Heat and all that firepower.
And San Antonio, with all that experience.
Don’t forget the Thunder. Any team with Durant and Westbrook can do some damage.
Portland Trail Blazers (33-47) at Los Angeles Clippers (54-26)
Tuesday, April 16
Staples Center, Los Angeles
10:30 p.m. EST
Clippers -14.5 | O/U: 203.5 at Bovada
ATS Matchup Stats | Gambling Insight!
Check out our in-house Handicapper!!! Buy Razor Ray’s NBA Picks Today!
And the Nuggets? Boy, they come at you 24/7 and you just can’t beat them in Denver.
We missing anyone? What about the Clippers?
CLICK GRAB OUR BEST Expert NBA Picks for 2013 HOOPS GAMBLING season!
Since the All-Star break the LAC have managed to fall off the radar. That perfect December and 17-game winning streak are only distant memories now, and the team that long ago locked up the Pacific Division title has received even less attention than the Lakers and their bid to eke into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
So what gives?
Frankly, the Clippers had a bad month of March, struggling to a 7-7 record as they battled both injuries and inconsistency. Fans hesitant to embrace the team and cautious about its chances of making a deep playoff run seem to remember the rough patches rather than point to a club that has set a team record for victories.
With so much firepower, it’s easy to overlook the Clippers, who finish their regular season with a back-to-back set tonight at home against the Trail Blazers and tomorrow night at Sacramento.
But LA has pieced together a nice momentum-building 4-game win streak (Lakers, Wolves, Hornets and Grizzlies) as the Clips get set for the playoffs and a probable first-round match against the Grizzlies.
Besides the current mini-roll, there may be more good news on the horizon. It’s likely that the Clippers will have Chauncey Billups back in time for the playoffs. [ad-6571516]
Billups has been on the siedlines since re-aggravating a groin strain on March 27, and his availability in the playoffs would give the young Clippers veteran experience and depth. How Eric Beldsoe, who is already sensitive about minutes, reacts to Billups’s return is anyone’s guess.
At any rate, the Clippers appear to have quiver full of arrows as they begin the second season. They may always play Robin to the Lakers’ Batman at Staples Center, but they’re making progress, and if they manage to win a few playoff series, they’ll even get some respect.
FREE NBA PICK
Hard to figure exactly when the Blazers gave up on the season, but there’s no denying that that’s what happened. Now the end can’t come soon enough. Portland lugs an 11-game losing streak into tonight’s game, and the Blazers have covered in only two of those games.
If the O/U comes in anywhere near 203, an over play should get things done. Portland scores a lot and gives up a lot against teams (like the Clippers) who run the court.
