Kings vs Clippers NBA Handicapping
Something’s happening; what it is ain’t exactly clear.
The lyrics from the old song by the 1960s folk group Buffalo Springfield applie now to the Los Angeles Clippers, who have won 11 straight games and demanded a place at the table with the powers (Oklahoma City, San Antonio) of the Western Conference.
Sacramento Kings (8-17) at Los Angeles Clippers (19-6)
Friday, Dec. 21
Staples Center, Los Angeles
10:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Clippers -13.5 Bovada
O/U – 200
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The Clips haven’t lost since the Monday after Thanksgiving (New Orleans), and since then have been the dominant team in the Association. They are 8-3 ATS during the streak, and 12 of their wins have been by 12 points or more.
But what is even more head-scratching is that Vinny Del Negro’s club has been able to win with both offense and defense. This season the Clippers are in the upper echelon (8th overall) in scoring at better than 101 points a game.
But their latest win (Wednesday over the same Hornets team) was accomplished by clamping down on defense. NO was only 29 for 75 from the field, and just 2 for 19 (under 11 percent) shooting threes.
It all added up to a rocking chair 93-77 victory in which no starter was forced to play more than 28 minutes. Both Chris Paul (10 points) and Blake Griffin (18) took much of the night off on offense as the bench played big minutes and prevented the Hornets from making any kind of run.[ad-6571516]
With that in mind, the Clips should have fresh legs tonight when they take on the Kings at home. Sacramento is coming off its best win of the season (not hard to filter though Kings victories – there have been only eight) – a 131-127 decision at home over the Warriors in a reminder that on any given Wednesday, any team can win in the NBA if the opponent is tired or uninterested in playing any defense.
The Kings don’t really go all that hard on the road, as their 1-10 record away from friendly Sacramento clearly shows. Among their less-aggressive road efforts this season was a 35-point loss to the Clippers on Dec. 1.
If Sacramento is going to make this a game, the Kings will need a decent effort from DeMarcus Cousins, who has scored in double figures 11 of the last 13 games. The offense flows through PG Tyreke Evans, and Evans has missed the last two games with a knee injury.
Even if he can go, chasing Paul around for 40 minutes or so on a bum knee should create issues that the Kings are not built to deal with.
THE PICK – Since somehow managing to beat the Trail Blazers in Portland, the Kings have lost five straight on the road, with the average margin being more than 16 points.
Given that, it’s no surprise that such a heavy number (13.5) has been set on this one. Clippers to cover the big number.
