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L.A. Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Cappers TNT NBA Preview & Free Pick

Clippers vs Suns NBA Basketball Spread/Handicapping

Whatever is going on in Phoenix, it’s not good. Coaching change, veterans with no interest in playing, assistant coaches not even showing up for practice.

Los Angeles Clippers (32-11) at Phoenix Suns (14-28)
Thursday, Jan. 24
US Airways Center, Phoenix
10:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Clippers -6.5
O/U – 193 at GTBets.eu

Matchup | Preview

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That’s what the franchise is dealing with tonight when the Suns take the court against the Clippers, whose history until the last few seasons has been riddled with similar issues.

New coach Lindsey Hunter, who replaced Alvin Gentry last week, more than has his work cut out. Assistant Elston Turner has decided to stop attending practices (that should do wonders for his coaching career), GM Lance Blanks is getting heat from everyone, and center Jermaine O’Neal was banned from a recent trip to Sacramento after reportedly getting into a shouting match with Blanks.

Oh, and the team stinks.

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PG Goran Dragic is the Suns’ best player and goes hard every night, and Luis Scola has some gas left in the tank, but after that the Suns are a mish-mash of low-ceiling players who haven’t meshed. Phoenix wins one game out of every three, and it will be a semi-miracle if Hunter can keep things together and get even close to 30 wins this season.

In fact, reports out of the desert indicate that Hunter’s job over the next few months is just to keep the locker room from going postal until management can re-set, blow things up and start building from scratch.

In the meantime, there is the not-so-small matter of playing out the last half of the season. The Suns had lost 13 of 15 before somehow managing to get by the also-hopeless Sacramento/Seattle Kings on Tuesday, with reserve forward Michael Beasley turning in perhaps his best game of the season (19 points and 6 rebounds in 22 minutes). [ad-6571516]

The Clippers will no doubt be grateful for a chance to play one of the NBA’s bottom-feeders after a difficult two-game stretch – losses to Golden State and Oklahoma City.

But they will have to again do without PG Chris Paul, who is still dealing with a bruised right kneecap. Paul’s injury has not healed quickly, and that’s a concern for the Clippers, who are embarking on a nasty road trip.

Ten of the next 11 games are on the road in a brutal swing which includes two back-to-back sets (Boston/Washington and New York/Philadelphia).

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Even without Paul the Clippers are hefty (6.5-point) road favorites, the Suns’ disarray no doubt factoring into the line at least a bit. The Suns are feeling heat from the fans after losing four straight games at home, which is difficult to do in the NBA even for mediocre teams.

Should not be a problem for the Clippers, who are no doubt concerned about starting out their long road trip on a three-game losing streak. LA to cover.

By Lawrence Paul

Lawrence Paul is back in the saddle as a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. He's got an AMAZING knack for predicting when a team will have a letdown! Stick with our resident gambling experts sports betting tips all season long!