The LA Clippers travel to the FedExForum on Thursday night to take on the Memphis Grizzlies in this Western Conference battle.
Los Angeles. bounced back from a loss to the Brooklyn Nets by defeating the Washington Wizards on Monday at Staples Center. The Clippers are second in the Western Conference team standings and are on top of the Pacific Division. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are coming off back-to-back losses to the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks. Memphis is trying to return to the .500 mark and get back in the playoff hunt. They are currently two games off the 8th seeded Golden State Warriors.
The LA Clippers are 23-10 on the season and they have the best record in the Pacific Division. The Clippers are second in the Western Conference team standings, three games behind the Utah Jazz. Los Angeles has won six out of their last eight games with their only losses during that period coming against Brooklyn and Utah.
In their last game, the Clippers defeated the Wizards 135-116 at Staples Center. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 32 points while Paul George added 30. Four players came off the bench to score in double digits led by Reggie Jackson who had 17 and Ivica Zubac who had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Los Angeles ranks 5th in the NBA in scoring at 115.8 points per game scored. They have the NBA’s 5th best defense at only 109.0 points per game allowed. The Clippers are 15th in the league in rebounding at 44.3 boards grabbed per contest. They are also 19th in passing at 24.3 assists per game.
The Memphis Grizzlies are 13-14 on the season and they are in third place in the Southwest Division. The Grizzlies are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference team standings but are just two games off the 8th seeded Golden State Warriors. Memphis has dropped three of five and is coming off a loss to the Mavericks.
Ja Morant led the team with 22 points and 9 assists while Desmond Bane added 12 points off the bench. Jonas Valanciunas put up a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds while Brandon Clarke had 11 points and 4 rebounds. Tyus Jones also contributed 10 points and four assists for Memphis.
Memphis ranks 22nd in the league in scoring at 110.4 points per game. They have the league’s 17th best scoring defense at 112.0 points per game allowed this season. The Grizzlies rank 2nd in passing at 27.4 assists per game and they are 12th in rebounding at 44.5 boards grabbed per contest.
The Clippers are 6-2 SU in their last eight games played. Los Angeles. is 6-1 SU in their last seven games played on the road. The Grizzlies are 4-8 SU in their last 12 games played. Memphis is 6-9 SU in their last 15 games played at home, and 3-8 SU in their last 11 games played against the Pacific Division. Head to head, the Clippers are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played against the Grizzlies. Los Angeles is also 5-2 SU in their last seven games played in Memphis.
The Clippers look to solidify their hold of the best record in the Pacific Division as the Lakers continue to struggle without Anthony Davis.
They recently went 4-2 in a six-game homestand with their losses coming at the hands of the Nets and Jazz. With Kawhi and PG both healthy and playing together, this is a tough Clippers squad to beat, even if they are playing on the road.
Memphis is out of the playoff picture right now and they are one game below the .500 mark. The Grizzlies will rely on Ja Morant once again but he will have to limit his turnovers if they are to have a chance against the Clippers. Morant has 57 turnovers in his last 19 games and they can’t give the Clippers extra possessions. I think that the Clippers will overwhelm the Grizzlies with their superior offense while at the same time give Memphis problems with their Top 10 defense.
Prediction:LA Clippers
Los Angeles is 5-2 ATS in their last seven games played. The Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played against the Western Conference, 5-2 ATS in their last seven February games, 5-0 ATS in their last five Thursday games, 4-0 ATS in their last four games against an opponent with a losing SU record, and 4-1 ATS in their last five games as the betting favorite. Memphis is 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games played. The Grizzlies are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against the Western Conference, 2-5 ATS in their last seven games as the home underdog, 1-4 ATS in their last five Thursday games, and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games as the betting underdog. Head to head, the Clippers are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Grizzlies.
The Clippers are just 2-2 in their last four games but their losses have been to Brooklyn and Utah. Los Angeles. has beaten Memphis in four out of their last five head-to-head meetings and has done so by an average winning margin of 13 points. The Clippers have always been one of the best teams in the league when they are healthy and that’s what they are at this stage of the season. Give me the better team to win this game on the road and cover the spread.
Prediction: LA Clippers -7.5
The over is 6-3-1 in the last 10 games played by the Clippers. The total has gone over in each of the last five games played by the Clippers. Los Angeles has seen the total go over in their last five games as road favorites. The over is also 5-0 in their last five games after an SU win of more than 10 points. The total has gone over in seven out of the last nine games played by the Grizzlies. The over is 5-1 in their last six games played at home, 8-1 in their last nine games as an underdog, 10-1 in their last 11 games against an opponent with a winning road record, 5-1 in their last six games after an ATS loss, and 5-1 in their last six games after an SU loss. Head to head, the total has gone over in 10 out of the last 14 games played between these two teams.
These teams have combined to score an average of 238.33 points per game in their last three head-to-head meetings. The Clippers have the league’s 4th best scoring offense at 115.8 points per game and they have scored at least 125 points in four out of their last seven games played. Memphis has a leaky defense that’s just 17th in the league and they won’t have what it takes to contain the Clippers’ offense. I’ll take the over in this contest
Prediction: Over 227
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