by LUCAS COMBS
Previous Meeting (s): The Clippers have defeated the Lakers twice this season – on November 2nd as the road team, 105-95 and on January 4th as the home team 107-102.
When: Thurs, February 13th at 730 PM PT
Where: Staples Center, LA, California
Line: -3 Clippers, Total: 200
Rivalry Match-Up
Home is where the heart is will be the theme in Thursday’s Valentine’s Day rivalry at the Staples Center between the Clippers and Lakers of Los Angeles. The Clippers scored 46 points in the first quarter and cruised to a 106-96 victory over the Houston Rockets late Wednesday night. Chauncey Billups, who is being eased back into the starting line-up after recovering from an ACL injury had his best game of the season with 19 points in just 20 minutes of action. The Clippers will need to get a good night’s sleep for the next day Valentine showdown with the hated Lakers.
The Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns Tuesday despite getting just 4 points from Kobe Bryant. If Bryant doesn’t score more than 4 points Thursday night, the Lakers will not only get knifed like a South Side Crip, but Kobe might start blaming Paul Gasol for being a wuss and not playing through injury.
Betting Information
Against the spread, the Lakers are just 1-3 ATS in their last 4 contests and a dismal 21-32 ATS overall (12-14 ATS in home games). The Lakers are also a porous 4-11 ATS as an underdog and 12-16 ATS versus teams with winning records. The Clippers, meanwhile, are 30-25 ATS overall (14-15 ATS in road games). Concerning the total, the Lakers are 10-4 Over as an underdog (26-26 overall, 14-11 Under in home games). The Clippers are 23-20 ATS as a favorite (28-25 Over overall, 15-14 Under on the road).
Glit and Glamor
The less glamorous Clippers have owned the glittery prima donna Lakers as of late, defeating the Lakers both times the teams faced off this season. The outcomes of the two games between the Clippers and the Lakers are microcosms of how the season has gone for each team. The Clippers have proven they are one of the league’s best, and are now looking to win the division and secure a #1 seed. The Lakers, on the other hand, continue to be inconsistent. Many blame the Lakers’ problems on injuries, but what about the Clippers’ injury problems? The Clippers had to go the first half of the season without Chauncey Billups. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and Jamal Crawford have all missed time with injuries. Boo-hoo Lakers. The Lakers do have one semi-objective believer, recently fired coach Mike Brown, who thinks the Lakers turnaround is “just a matter of time.” Dream big.
Source: ESPN
No comments:
Post a Comment