The Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets are keeping it very competitive at the top of the Western Conference standings. Blake Griffin (30 PPG and 10 RPG in February) will lead the Clippers charge, while a red-hot James Harden comes into this one fresh off last night’s 43-point performance.
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers Betting Preview
[sc:NBA240banner ]When: Wednesday, February 26th, 10:30 PM EST
Where: STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA
Line: Rockets (+5) at Clippers (–5); total: 222.5
Betting on the Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets just continue to roll on the road. Powered by James Harden’s season-high 43 points, the Rockets improved to 6-1 SU in their last 7 road games and 10-1 SU in their last 11 games overall with a 129-103 win over the Kings.
Harden’s recent play – 34 PPG in his last 5 games – is leaving little doubt that he’s the NBA’s best shooting guard. Coupled with arguably the NBA’s best center Dwight Howard, the Rockets are now just 1 ½ games behind the Spurs for 2nd place in the Western Conference.
Houston will be playing the second night of a back-to-back, but will be reasonably rested after they were able to rest their starters against the Kings. Thanks to a 25-point lead entering the 4th quarter, no Rocket starter played more than 31 minutes. That should help improve Houston’s already impressive 9-5 SU record with no day’s rest.
Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers have regrouped from back-to-back defeats against San Antonio and Memphis with big road wins at Oklahoma City and New Orleans. LA’s offense is back to firing on all cylinders, having scored over 120 points in both games.
Blake Griffin’s streak of 11-straight 25+ point games was snapped against the Grizzlies, but the Clippers have shown they have the secondary scoring to back up their dunk-obsessed forward. All five starters scored 18 or more points against the Thunder, while seven Clippers poured in 10 or more against the Pelicans.
The Clippers are tied with the Thunder for the best home record in the Western Conference at 23-5 and are 8-2 in their last 10 home games.
Picking a Winner
Despite the Clippers homecourt dominance, it’s hard not to pick the smoking-hot Rockets here. James Harden and Dwight Howard are playing out of their minds right now, and with defensive sieves DeAndre Jordan and Jamal Crawford likely matched up against them, the rested Rocket duo looks set to deliver big numbers once again.
So far bettors seem to like the over, and it’s easy to see why. Both teams rank in the top 3 in points per game, and the total has gone OVER in eight of the Clippers’ last nine games. Since opening, the total has moved from 220 to 222.5.
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